Headache
by FaithinBones
Summary: Christopher Pelant started a chain of events that have profoundly affected our Bones world. This story runs through season 8.
1. Chapter 1

This takes place before "The Future in the Past".

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

It started out as a headache. A bad one. Brennan and Christine had been gone for 24 days and Booth had been trying to keep it together; but, day after day, his phone and computer were searched by his fellow agents and his supposed friends. He was interviewed and asked the same inane questions without fail. Had he been in contact with Dr. Brennan? Did he know where she was? and on and on ad nauseam.

They had taken away his office and put him in the bullpen. They wouldn't let him work on cases and made him do endless paperwork. He refused to quit and he refused to break. If anything, the endless questions and the endless paperwork made him more determined to stick it out. He would never allow anyone to chase away him from his job. Never.

He knew there was a bright light at the end of the tunnel and that was when Brennan was proven to be innocent of the murder of Ethan Sawyer and she and Christine were returned to him. Right now he couldn't see the end of the tunnel; but, he knew it was there. He was counting on Angela and Hodgins and Cam to keep the train on its tracks and to move him to the end of the tunnel.

He'd awoke from his short sleep with blinding pain. His head hurt and he was nauseous. When he opened his eyes he saw white flashes and there was a kind of metallic sound that was syncopated with the flashes ringing in his ears. The worse thing about the whole thing? Everything had a purple tint. He wasn't sure about what was going on; but, it scared the Hell out of him.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

After his third trip to the bathroom, Booth was sure that there wasn't anything left in his stomach to lose and still his stomach insisted that there was. Staggering out of the bathroom, Booth called Cam.

Hearing Cam answering her phone, Booth complained, "Cam, I think my brain tumor has grown back."

Uncertain what Booth was talking about, Cam asked, "Seeley, what are you talking about? Why do you think your brain tumor is back?"

Clearing his throat, Booth answered, "My head hurts, I'm seeing flashes of light everywhere I look and everything looks purple."

Concerned, Cam thought about it, "Ok, look, I'm coming over there and we're going to the hospital. I think you have a very bad migraine; but, I'd like to make sure. You get dressed and I'll be there in about twenty minutes."

Relieved, Booth agreed, "Yeah, I'll be ready to go when you get here. Thanks Cam."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next day, when Flynn realized that Booth wasn't at his desk, Flynn had someone go down to the parking garage to see if Booth's car was there. When Agent Thompkins had reported that the parking space was empty, Flynn called Booth's house and then his cell phone. Since all of his calls went to voice mail, Flynn had Thompkins drive over to the Booth/Brennan house to see if Booth was there. After Thompkins had reported that Booth's car was there; but, it looked like Booth wasn't, Flynn ordered Thompkins to break in to the house and see if Booth was in the house. After the next call from Thompkins said that Booth wasn't there, Flynn put an APB out on one Special Agent Seeley Joseph Booth. Wanted for questioning.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Hodgins had purchased a police scanner years ago and as he had got older and calmer he'd stopped listening to it. Once Brennan had disappeared, Hodgins had taken the scanner out of the closet, dusted it off and turned it on. He'd been listening to the scanner off and on for the last 24 days when his attention was drawn to an APB that had gone out for Seeley Booth.

Furious, Hodgins had tried to track down Booth; but, Booth's phone kept going to voicemail. Leaving the Lab, Hodgins had driven over to the Booth/Brennan house to find a patrol car sitting out front. When he'd approached the officer sitting in the car to ask what was going on he'd been told firmly but politely to go about his own business.

Angry, Hodgins returned to the Lab to look for Cam. When he had been told that she had called in sick, he called her.

"Cam, do you know where Booth is?"

Sounding tired, Cam replied, "Yes, he's in the hospital. I took him last night. They're getting ready to run some tests on him to see if his brain tumor has come back."

Shaken, Hodgins sat down on his chair and exclaimed, "What? Why didn't you call me? You tell me where he is. Me and Ange will be right there."

Ooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the hospital, Hodgins and Angela found the waiting room that Cam was pacing in.

Rushing into the room, Hodgins complained, "Cam, we came as soon as we could. You should have called us last night."

Shrugging her shoulders, Cam replied, "I think it's just a really bad migraine; but, you know with Booth's history we can't take any chances. They just took him in for testing a little while ago."

Angela, biting her lips, asked, "How was he? Was he scared? I know I would be."

Smiling, Cam replied, "You know Booth, he wouldn't admit he was scared if his life depended on it. I know he is though. He told me that if anything happens to him he has some letters he wants me to give Dr. Brennan when she comes back."

Angry, Hodgins crossed his arms, "This is ridiculous. If the FBI wasn't letting themselves being manipulated by Pelant then Dr. B would be home and she'd be here for Booth. Instead they have an APB out for his arrest."

Angela and Cam, turning to stare at Hodgins exclaimed, "What?"

Blushing, Hodgins responded, "Ok, maybe I should have mentioned that earlier. I heard on my police scanner that there's an APB out for Booth's arrest. He's a person of interest."

Furious, Cam pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Assistant Director Hacker. "Listen Andrew, I just heard that there's an APB out on Booth."

Hacker, a little caught off guard, "What do you mean? I just got to work. Why is there an APB out on Booth?"

With a humorless laugh, Cam explained patiently, "I don't know that's why I'm calling you. Booth is in the hospital having some tests run on him. He's been here since last night."

Grimly looking at his watch, Hacker responded, "Alright, I'll find out what's going on and call you back."

ooooooooooooooooooooo

The press being what it is, found out that Special Agent Seeley Booth and lover of the mystery writer Temperance Brennan was wanted by the FBI for questioning. Releasing that news to the public they didn't verfiy why an APB had been put out for him they just released the fact that he was wanted for questioning.

Brennan watching the news on her small motel television was shocked when she saw the strip of news crawl across the bottom of her television telling her that the FBI was hunting for Booth. Afraid, Brennan did the only thing she could do. She retrieved her pay-as-you-go phone from her luggage and called her contact in D.C. She had to know what was going on and she had to know now.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Angela, her phone ringing, rummaged around in her purse until she found her phone. Apologizing, she walked out of Booth's hospital room and into the hallway. Seeing the FBI agent standing by the door, Angela walked further down the hall and answered the phone.

"Angela, what's going on?"

Relieved and a little frightened, Angela turned her back on the now distant agent and replied, "OK, Sweetie, don't get shook up. I know you probably saw the news about you know them wanting him; but, it was just a big misunderstanding and it's ok now."

"You can't talk?"

"Yeah, a little as long as I don't mention names, Ok? He got sick last night and just to be on the safe side, Cam took him to the hospital and someone missed him this morning and instead of checking into it they thought he'd run away; so, they had people look for him. It was stupid. As soon as someone higher up the food chain heard about it; they, put a stop to it. There are few red faces right now, I can tell you that."

"Why is Booth in the hospital?"

"Well, Sweetie, he got a really bad migraine last night and it frightened him. He thought his brain tumor had grown back and Cam didn't want to take a chance. He had a bunch of tests done early this morning and it's ok. It is just a migraine. God knows why he hasn't had one before now; but, anyways, you don't need to worry about it. They're going to give him something to take home when he leaves and he can use it the next time he gets a migraine."

Relieved, Brennan sighed, "Migraines can be quite painful. Is he better now?"

Knowing it was best to be honest, Angela replied, "Well, he still has the migraine; so, his doctor decided to keep him until they get it to go away. They have him resting in a dark room and we're staying as quiet as possible. He told me a little while ago that he's starting to feel better. He said the flashes of light have gone; so, that's something."

"Oh, flashes of light, he sees those when he has really bad migraines. He's only had them twice that I know of; but, I do know he says that he hates the lights and the fact that there's sound with it. He says it drives him crazy. I think it frightens him when he gets them because he thinks his brain tumor is coming back."

"Yeah, I had one of those once and he's right. They are bad. Look, he's ok and you need to end this call. It's just a headache and he's not being hunted by anyone; so, don't worry."

Frustrated, Brennan complained, "I should be there."

Shaking her head, Angela replied, "Absolutely not. It's just a headache. Don't do anything rash. Now I'm ending this call."

Furious that Booth was sick and she couldn't be by his side, Brennan took the sim card out of the phone and destroyed it. Weeping, Brennan picked up Christine and hugged her child. If she couldn't hug Booth she could at least hug his child, their child.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Flynn was sitting in Deputy Director Cullen's office, sweating.

"So, instead of looking into the matter further, you just decided that Booth had run away and then you put an APB out for his arrest. Then to top it off the press gets their hands on that and they just put it on TV for all of his friends and family to see."

Staring at Cullen, Flynn tried to put a brave face on his words, "He wasn't at work, he wasn't at home, he wasn't answering his phone."

Furious, Cullen spat out, "No, he was in the hospital, worried that he was dying. You're telling me that you couldn't call Cam or Angela or anyone else to check and see if they knew where he was?"

Swallowing, Flynn responded, "They're his friends. If he had run, I would have expected them to cover up for him as long as they could."

Leaning back in his chair, Cullen glared at Flynn. "This is the way this going to go. You are going to hold a press conference and you are going to explain how you screwed up this whole thing. You will explain that Agent Booth is in the hospital and has been since last night. You will explain it was for a minor problem and you expect him to be released from the hospital today. You will then call Agent Booth's grandfather and apologize for upsetting him and you will then call his son and apologize to him too. You will then go to the hospital and apologize to Agent Booth."

Exhaling deeply, Flynn nodded his head.

Standing up and leaning on his fists as they rested on his desk, Cullen loomed towards Flynn, "If you ever pull any more bullshit like this I'll not only take you off Dr. Brennan's case, I'll transfer you to the most remote station I can find and if it isn't remote enough, I'll create one. I hope I've made myself as clear as possible, Agent Flynn. All, you've managed to do today is make the FBI look we're a bunch of incompetent fools. You won't do that again."

Shaking his head, Flynn replied, "No sir. It won't happen again."

Glaring at Flynn, Cullen snarled at Flynn, "Get the Hell out of my office."

Oooooooooooooo

Andrew Hacker, sitting on the couch in Cullen's office, watched Flynn hurry out of Cullen's office. "Why didn't you yank him from Dr. Brennan's case?"

Shaking his head, Cullen sat down on the chair behind his desk and sighed, "He's the only agent with enough rank and seniority around here that hasn't worked with Dr. Brennan or Booth. I need someone in charge who can't be accused of being biased."

"We could always bring someone in from one of the other field offices."

Nodding his head, Cullen responded, "Oh believe me, if we have anymore bullshit like this, I will."

"You know I saw Hank Booth give an interview on TV a little while ago. He really reamed us good."

"No kidding. Why do you think I'm making Flynn apologize to Mr. Booth personally? That old man really tells it like it is."

"Yeah, we can see where Booth gets his honesty from. Damn, Flynn pisses me off."

"Ha, you think you're pissed. You haven't talked to the Director. . . . Shit. Stay out of his way for the next few days. I know I plan to."

Ooooooooooooooooo

A little long; but, I hope you liked my venting on Flynn. What do think of this little story?


	2. Chapter 2

PLK Susie would like to see Flynn try to apologize to Booth. That sounded like an interesting idea to me.

Oh come on, you just knew that this story would probably not be a one shot. I mean, I was pretty sure that someone would ask to see Flynn twist in the wind.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the hospital, Agent Flynn had found Booth's hospital room on the fourth floor. The nurse at the desk had told him he could visit Booth as long as he was quiet.

Standing outside of Booth's room, Flynn talked to the agent standing just outside of Booth's room.

"Has he had many visitors?"

Bored, Agent Harris replied, "Just the squint squad. No sign of Dr. Brennan if that's what you're asking."

Cam, hearing voices just outside of Booth's room, stepped out to do a little shushing. Seeing Flynn standing in front of the door, Cam closed the door behind her and folded her arms across her chest. "You are not coming in to this room, Agent Flynn. You're one of the reasons that Booth is sick and I will not let you bother him while he's trying to recover."

Frowning, Flynn replied, "I need to talk to him."

Shaking her head, Cam snarled, "Not even for a second. If you want to talk to him then you'll have to wait until he goes back to work."

A little exasperated, Flynn insisted, "Look, Doctor, I get it, you're his friend. I just need to speak to him for about one minute then I'll leave."

Holding up her right hand, Cam said, "Try to talk to Booth while he's sick and I'll make sure you regret it. Leave now."

Holding up his hands up in a placating manner, Flynn soothed, "Ok, don't get upset. I'll see him when he goes home this evening."

Turning around, Flynn walked away as a very frustrated FBI Agent.

Re-entering the room, Hodgins and Angela walked over to meet Cam at the door. Whispering, Hodgins asked, "What's going on? I heard you practically shouting at someone."

Sighing, Cam replied, "Flynn tried to get in here to see Booth, I told him no and he didn't like it. He said he'll wait and talk to Booth at home tonight."

Angela, leaning closer to Cam and Hodgins informed her, "Not going to happen. Booth is coming home with us for a few days. If Flynn tries to come into our house I'll shoot his ass and claim it was self-defense."

Booth, hearing a lot of annoying whispering, opened his eyes and admonished, "Ok, either speak out loud enough for me to hear or shut the Hell up."

Laughing, Hodgins whispered, "Oh, goody, I see these next few days are going to be lovely."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

That evening, Flynn called over to the hospital to see if Booth had been released. Hearing that Booth had been sent home, Flynn drove over to the Booth/Brennan house to talk to Booth. Getting out of his car, Flynn noticed that there weren't any lights on in the house.

The patrolman, sitting in his car in front of the house, exited his car and walked over to where Flynn was standing in the driveway.

"Who are you? I need to see some ID."

Flynn, showing the patrolman his badge asked, "Isn't Agent Boot home?"

Shaking his head, Patrolman Krantz replied, "Nope. I'm babysitting an empty house."

Sighing, Flynn muttered, "Damn those squints."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next day, Flynn was called in to Cullen's office. "Well, Agent Flynn, did you apologize to everyone?"

Clearing his throat, Flynn replied, "Everyone but Booth. The squints won't let me near him. I tried to see him last night; but, he wasn't home."

Smirking, Cullen responded, "Dr. Hodgins called me this morning to inform me that Booth is recovering at his house. He wanted me to know; so, we don't put out another APB on Booth."

Blushing, Flynn replied, "Ok, well, I guess I'll have to go over to Dr. Hodgins house to talk to Booth."

Shaking his head, Cullen ordered, "No, you won't. You will wait until Booth comes back to work and then you can apologize to him here."

Sighing, Flynn nodded his head.

Pointing at the floor, Cullen elaborated, "When I mean here, I mean in this office. I want to make sure it's done right."

His neck turning red, Flynn acknowledged the order, "Alright."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth was out for three days. When he came back, Cullen called him and asked him to come to his office. Booth, taking his time, made his way up to Cullen's office after stopping off in the break room for a cup of coffee.

Sipping his coffee, Booth walked into Cullen's office a short time later.

Cullen, a little annoyed that Booth had taken ten minutes to arrive, sat back in his chair and smirked. "It was so nice that you could join us, Agent Booth."

Smiling, Booth replied, "I had to go to the bathroom."

Shaking his head, Cullen pointed to Flynn, "Do it."

Sighing, Flynn smiled, "Booth, I'm sorry for embarrassing you the other day. I shouldn't have put that APB out for you."

Staring at Flynn, Booth sipped his coffee. Cullen, used to Booth's ways, watched Booth ignore Flynn, "Ok, Booth, you can go back to work."

Turning around, Booth left Cullen's office at a leisurely pace.

Flynn, turning to Cullen complained, "You see what I have to put up with?"

Shaking his head, Cullen responded, "I'd advise you to tread carefully and stay within your job parameters when dealing with Agent Booth. He's pissed enough at us that it wouldn't take much to have him at your throat and believe me you definitely don't want to piss him off too much."

After Flynn left the room, Hacker stood up from the couch and remarked, "I'd pay good money to see Booth go off on that jerk."

Shrugging his shoulders, Cullen looked at Hacker, "This isn't going to last forever. Sooner or later the squints are going to aim the investigation back at Pelant and when they do, Flynn better be very careful."

Nodding his head, Hacker replied, "Yep, he may not realize that the watcher is being watched."

Leaning forward in this chair, Cullen remarked, "I hope not."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ok, would any one like me to elaborate on this story? I have a plan if you want more. I know I have a lot of stories going on; so, if you think one more would be too much then let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

This was originally going to be a one shot; but, due to the following wonderful reviewers, a few ideas were presented to me that I could use to expand the story: PLK Susie, JBCFlyers19 and Guest.

Pasha54, I believe you are right. Flynn is probably just as hated as Hannah.

I'm not sure how long this story is going to be; but, I don't think it will be very long. (famous last words)

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

The summer had been long and hot. Brennan had remained elusive and much to the embarrassment of most of the FBI agents at the Hoover her story remained a hot topic in the press. A famous mystery writer and world class anthropologist on the run and the FBI and local law enforcement everywhere couldn't find her. The press seemed to take delight in the ineptness of the FBI. At least once a week, one or two television pundits on both sides of the political spectrum pointed out that there must be some very red faces in the Hoover's upper echelon.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Hacker sitting in Cullen's office held a file in his hand and watched Cullen talking on the phone. Once Sam Cullen was finished, he stood up from his desk and walked over to the couch.

Sitting down, Cullen frowned and looked at the file. "Agent Holtz has tried to be as discreet as possible; so, in order not to draw attention to himself and what he's doing he's had to take the whole thing very slowly. Of course, computers are out; so, he's had to do a lot of leg work."

Nodding his head, Andrew Hacker, sighed, "Damn it. I really hate it that I have to cut back on how I use my computer. This is the biggest mess I've ever been involved with. The Director has all but given up on using his PC right now. He doesn't use his I-Phone as much as he used to. He told me he's using the phone and ignoring the other options for the time being."

Sitting back on the couch and folding his arms, Cullen grunted, "Hell, I had a computer put in this office on my side table that isn't connected to the internet. I transfer files from the PC; but, I don't transfer anything to the PC. It's the only computer I know of that's safe from Pelant."

Giving Cullen an admiring look, Hacker replied, "Damn, that's a good idea. I think I'll do that."

Shaking his head, Cullen rubbed his chin, "I checked on Booth yesterday. He's behaving. I never would have believed that he would play the game like he is. I think I misjudged just how patient he can be."

Hacker, chuckling at the Cullen, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I thought for sure he'd have punched someone by now. Do you still plan to talk to him about what's going on?"

Shaking his head, Cullen smiled, "Nah, I think we'd better leave Booth alone. The less he knows the better. He's a pretty good actor; but, I don't want him to change how he's working with Flynn. Flynn has to think that no one is watching him and I don't think Booth could keep the smirk from his face if Flynn pisses him off enough."

Sighing, Hacker replied, "Yeah, I think we forget he's the best sniper around. When he wants to he has the patience of Job and thank God right now he wants to."

Nodding his head, Cullen cleared his throat, "Yeah, well I wish the Director would take a lesson from Booth. He's getting a little worried that it's taking the squints so long to aim Flynn back towards Pelant. We knew that Pelant was a damn super computer genius; but, if he has the squints at the Jeffersonian scratching their heads then I hope we aren't wasting our time tilting at wind mills. Dr. Brennan can't stay hidden forever and that's a fact."

Hacker, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the couch, "I'll tell you who else has more patience than I thought he would. Holtz is doing a damn fine job. I'm not sure we could have picked a better agent to handle this for us."

Smiling, Cullen responded, "Maybe but Holtz almost had a cow when he dealt with that sheriff in St. Lawrence County a couple of weeks ago. He really had to do a lot of convincing to get him to leave Dr. Brennan alone and even then I had to get involved."

Laughing, Hacker remarked, "Yeah, Charlie told me that you had to drive up there and pressure the Sheriff."

Shaking his head, "Yeah, let's just say, I'm not very popular up there right now."

"I'll bet."

Rubbing his mouth, Cullen stared across the room, "I wish we could just bring her back; but, the press would have a field day if we did. Plus we need to keep her out of sight from Pelant."

Grunting, Hacker shook his head, "God, Pelant has really backed everyone very neatly into a corner."

Laughing, Cullen pointed out, "No, not everyone. Dr. Brennan didn't play his game and really surprised me when she just took off. I really had to scramble when Booth called in and told us she took off. I didn't think she'd do that. She's so law and order that I thought she'd let herself be arrested. I'd planned for that. I didn't plan on her and her old man running. She really screwed up my plans. I may still need them down the road; but, as long as she's free we'll just have to play the game she's playing and hope for the best."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had met Angela for lunch at the Royal Diner. They'd been eating quietly, both lost in their own thoughts when Charlie walked in and sat down next to Booth.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting down with you for lunch."

Booth, glancing up from his salad, nodded his head, "Nah, that's ok. What brings you to the diner? I thought you usually bring your lunch to work."

Charlie, taking a menu from Marge, turned to Booth and replied, "I thought I'd give you a little heads up about something."

Turning to Marge, Charlie ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, some fries and a glass of milk. Watching Marge walk away, Charlie turned to Booth, "Ok, I found Pelant. You still interested?"

Nodding his head, Booth stared at Angela who was staring at Charlie.

Handing a post-it-note to Booth, Charlie explained, "He's there every Tuesday and Thursday from noon until about 4 p.m."

Angela, concerned about what she was hearing, turned to Booth, "Booth, you can't go after Pelant. You're already in trouble for beating the guy up."

Smiling, Booth put his fork down and leaned towards Angela, "I'm not going after Pelant. I just want him to know that I know where he is."

Shaking her head, Angela asked, "What will that accomplish?"

Picking up his cup of coffee, Booth took a sip, "It will let him know that he isn't as invisible as he thinks he is."

Turning to Charlie, Angela asked, "How did you find him?"

Laughing, Charlie took his glass of milk from Marge and placed it on the table in front of him, "I'm FBI."

Placing his hands over his eyes as if he had binoculars over his eyes, Charlie smiled, "You know F . . . B . . . eye."

Rolling her eyes, Angela replied, "Yeah, really cute Charlie. How old are you?"

Ooooooooooooooooo

Still interested in this story? Let me know.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reading my story. Who knew that a Flynn story would be so popular? Not me, that's for sure.

A/N: I wasn't aware that there are parts of the world that are not able to see season 8 of Bones right now. I've woven episode 1 from season 8 into this story; so, if you haven't seen episode one of season 8 and you want to be spoiler free for season 8 then please skip this story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had gone to lunch and breezed into the library where Pelant was teaching computers skills to unemployed people who needed to learn new skills for new jobs. Booth had been pleased to see the fear and consternation that had flashed across Pelant's face. Filling out a volunteer sheet, Booth has watched with amusement as Pelant had made his phone call. Booth felt sure he knew who the call had been made to; but, since it wasn't against the law for him to volunteer to help at the library and there wasn't an official piece of paper saying he had to stay away from Pelant, Booth didn't care.

Whoever Pelant had called didn't appear to care either because no one showed up at the library to take Booth away. After spending 45 minutes staring at Pelant, Booth had left the library and gone back to work. No laws were broken and Booth had given himself a little happiness in a long string of very unhappy days.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Flynn had reported Booth's unauthorized visit with Pelant to Hacker and had been told to leave it alone.

"He didn't break any laws by going to the library and since I haven't seen any criminal complaints; I'm going to assume that Booth behaved himself."

Concerned, Flynn pointed out, "Yeah, but he was told to stay away from Pelant."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hacker replied, "Booth does what the Hell he wants to. He always has. Just forget about it and leave him alone. Pelant made his bed let him lay it."

Sighing, Flynn remarked, "Yeah, I'm just worried that Booth might set that bed on fire."

Laughing, Hacker responded, "Then Pelant had better keep a fire extinguisher close by."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hacker had let Cullen know about Booth's little unauthorized visit with Pelant.

Drinking a coke, Cullen mulled over his options. Finally deciding on a course of action, Cullen called Booth and asked him to come to his office.

Walking into Cullen's office, Booth walked over to Cullen's desk and sat down on the chair across from Cullen.

Cullen, staring at Booth, waited to see what Booth would do.

Booth, tired and depressed, sat on the chair and stared at Cullen's name plate.

Cullen realizing that Booth wasn't wound up like he normally was, spoke first, "You were told to stay away from Pelant."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth remained silent.

Leaning back in his chair, Cullen sighed, "Well at least you kept your hands to yourself this time. Next time, don't be so damned obvious if you want to check up on him. You almost gave Agent Blackstone a heart attack when you walked into the library at lunch time."

Surprised, Booth glanced up at Cullen's face. "I didn't see Richard there."

Smiling, Cullen responded, "He was sitting at one of the computers taking computer lessons from Pelant. He wasn't exactly dressed to the nines like he normally is."

Not getting a response from Booth, Cullen continued, "We are trying to keep track of him, regardless of what you think."

His face becoming blank, Booth replied, "I assumed you were only interested in Bones."

Smirking, Cullen leaned forward, "You know what they say about assumptions, Agent Booth."

Blushing, Booth looked down at Cullen's name plate again.

Shaking his head, Cullen leaned back in his chair again. "How's that gambling problem of yours?"

Startled, Booth looked at Cullen's friendly face. "I don't gamble anymore."

Nodding his head, Cullen stared at the window behind Booth, "You know if you ever need to take off for say Atlantic City we'd know that's why you went. That gambling bug you have is understandable. Just make sure you tell someone before you go. You know, so we don't have to put an APB out for you again."

Understanding finally settling in, Booth smiled, "Yeah, if Bones knew I was gambling again she'd be upset. You know I do have vacation days so down the road I just may take off and give in to the call of the cards."

Looking down at some paperwork on his desk, Cullen smiled, "Just don't lose your house."

Seeing Cullen smile, Booth smiled. He didn't know what was going on; but, he felt sure that Cullen had just given him permission if he needed it. Permission for what, Booth wasn't sure yet.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Cullen wasn't happy when he received a phone call from Flynn at close to midnight. He'd just gone to sleep and he really hated to get back up after closing his eyes.

"Booth called me to tell me that he had found out where Dr. Brennan was and he drove there and tried to talk her into coming back; but, she stole his car and took off in it. I have an APB out for her arrest."

Rolling out of bed, Cullen asked, "What about Booth?"

Uncertain, Flynn answered, "I assume he's going to rent a car and come back. I didn't tell him to stay there. He had no business just going after Dr. Brennan like that. This isn't his case and he just made himself look guilty by driving out to where she was. He sure didn't explain to me how he found out where she was."

Snickering, Cullen rubbed the side of this face, "Yeah, ok, I think you forget that Booth is probably the best agent I have and he's been following the case as closely as he can. I'm really sure that he didn't plan on her stealing his car either after he found her. The only thing I can see that he might be guilty of is trying to get his partner to turn herself in. Lose the attitude Flynn."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

At few hours later, Flynn called Cullen again.

"What?"

A little nervous, Flynn swallowed, "Sir, Booth brought in proof that Pelant has been hacking into the FBI database. The guy is in violation of his parole and I'm in the process of getting a warrant for his arrest. Booth and I will be arresting him later this morning."

Smiling, Cullen replied, "I told you Booth is my best agent, Agent Flynn."

Rolling his eyes, Flynn ended the call.

Hearing the call end, Cullen chuckled. Flynn got on his nerves and he hadn't liked how Flynn had handled the Ethan Sawyer investigation. Rubbing Flynn raw was just a little payback as far as Cullen was concerned.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

A few hours later, Booth called Cullen to let him know that the squints had finally found proof that Brennan had been set up and they'd also found proof in Pelant's family home that he had been responsible for the murder of a guidance councilor named Carole Morrissey at Pelant's high school when he was a teenager.

They now had proof that Pelant had hacked into a Federal database and that he had committed murder. They could now take their time to sort through everything and gather the evidence they needed to arrest Pelant for the murder of Ethan Sawyer.

Hacker, hearing from Cullen that Flynn had already stepped aside for Booth, remarked, "Now the fun begins."

Ooooooooooooooo

So, what do you think of my story so far?


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for reading and reviewing this story. I really appreciate it.

This is a reminder: this story contains season eight spoilers.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Pelant had managed to do the impossible. He's escaped. Oh he hadn't busted out of jail or anything so plebian like that. No, a computer genius like himself could think of easier ways to evade the criminal justice system and he'd done it. He'd entered prison as Christopher Pelant, citizen of the United States of America and had left prison as Bassam Alfayet, a citizen of Egypt.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Flynn had been careful to keep a low profile once Pelant had been taken into custody. As soon as Brennan had been cleared of the murder of Ethan Sawyer, Flynn had stepped aside and let Booth take over Major Crimes again. He knew he'd have do it to anyway; so, what were a few hours of power?

Flynn thought it was funny in a Bizzaro World kind of way. Booth had been relegated to the bullpen and stripped of his duties as head of Major Crimes and yet Booth and his squints had been responsible for the arrest of Pelant for the murder of a Carole Morrissey, the murder of Ethan Sawyer, the hacking of Federal databases, the murder of Ezra Krane, the murder of Inger Johannsen and the hacking of a bank's database. Flynn had been in charge of Major Crimes at the time; but, had received none of the credit. Booth had received it all.

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Flynn had been transferred to Terrorism and he thought he would try to make a splash there; but, after his transfer, Flynn found himself desk bound with no explanation. He'd ask for a meeting with Andrew Hacker and Hacker finally gave him a time to meet in Hacker's office.

Arriving in Hacker's office, Flynn found Cullen sitting on the couch along the back wall reading a file. Uncertain what to do, Flynn continued across the office and stopped at Hacker's desk.

Pointing at the chair across from his desk, Hacker invited Flynn to sit down.

"What can I do for you, Agent Flynn?"

Clearing his throat, Flynn asked, "Why am I sitting on a desk? I thought I'd be out in the field once I transferred from Major Crimes to Terrorism."

Sighing, Hacker pulled a folder from a small pile to the right of his desk and opened it. Flipping through the top two pages, Andrew looked up and asked, "Why did you go after Dr. Brennan instead of Christopher Pelant? Pelant was the computer hacker and to get Ethan Sawyer out of his confined room, someone had to hack into the hospital database and change the orders to allow him into an open ward. Dr. Brennan is a genius; but, we have no proof that computer hacking is part of her resume'."

Puzzled, Flynn replied, "Ethan Sawyer made threats against her daughter. What motive did Pelant have to go after Ethan Sawyer? Besides, the way Ethan Sawyer was murdered, it was done by someone with a very good knowledge of anatomy."

"Which Pelant could have found in medical books. The guy is an off the chart genius just like Dr. Brennan."

"But Dr. Brennan could have done it as well."

"So what about the murder of Ezra Krane? The hacking job done at the Jeffersonian? The hacking of the FBI's computer system? The stolen blood of five FBI agents from a blood drive? The cameras circumvented at the Lincoln monument to allow part of a body to be placed on a statue? The cameras time stamps altered at the hospital where Sawyer was kept? These things all screamed Dr. Temperance Brennan and not Christopher Pelant to you? Really?"

"Uh . . ."

"Dr. Sweets profile fitting Christopher Pelant? The fact that Pelant was being investigated for Inger Johannsen's murder before Ethan Sawyer was murdered and that Booth and his squints were closing in on Pelant? That Pelant had endangered the lives of our men and women in the military when he hacked in to the Pentagon? The fact that he was convicted as a terrorist?"

"Well . . ."

"The fact that Temperance Brennan has been working with the FBI for over six years and has been solving murders and not committing them? The fact that she is the world's leading anthropologist and a famous mystery writer? The fact that she was living with Agent Booth who was in charge of Major Crimes in the D.C. area? That she is a new mother? None of these things made an impression on you? Not at all?"

Swallowing, Flynn looked down at his hands.

Pursing his lips, Hacker stared at Flynn. Shaking his head, Hacker continued, "Either you are a very lazy and incompetent investigator or you were working for or with Christopher Pelant. Which is it?"

Jerking his head up, Flynn's eyes widened, "Now wait a minute . . . You can't just accuse me of working with Pelant. I don't know him? The guys a psycho."

"So you knew he was a psycho and still Dr. Brennan was the one you had to go after?"

Licking his lips, Flynn replied, "You've already made up your mind about me and what I was doing. I can see you're not going to let me defend myself."

Exhaling his breath, Hacker responded, "Defend yourself? You mean you have a defense for this mess?. . . This interview is over. You're riding a desk until we decide what to do with you. I really don't know how you made it this far in the FBI; but, I can't see you going any further. Can you?"

Standing, Flynn protested, "I did the best I could. I didn't have the help I needed because those damn squints were too busy doing what the Hell they wanted instead of what I told them to do. I don't know how Booth gets anything out of them? I really don't."

Speaking from his seat on the couch, Cullen commented, "And that is why Agent Booth is back in charge of Major Crimes."

Turning, Flynn looked at Cullen, "Booth is a very expensive baby sitter as far as I'm concerned."

Laughing, Cullen remarked, "That may be; but, he does get the best work out of those squints and that's why his solve rate is the best there is. He listens to those squints and they know it. You were fighting with them from day one and you certainly weren't listening to them."

Shrugging his shoulders, Flynn repeated, "I did the best I could."

Shaking his head, Cullen pointed out, "Which wasn't good enough. Now the FBI has been made to look very foolish about the singular screwup we did with Dr. Brennan. The press is just eating this whole thing up. I wouldn't be surprised if someone makes a movie about this and they call it The Pink Panther, American Style."

Furious, Flynn asked, "So I don't get a field assignment? I'm stuck at my desk?"

Nodding his head, Cullen answered, "You got it, Agent Flynn. You're stuck at your desk."

Walking across the office, Flynn turned back and shot off, "So I get to be the scapegoat?"

Smirking, Cullen shook his head, "Scapegoat? You brought this shit on yourself, Flynn. This is all your doing and if I find proof that you're connected to Pelant in any way, then God help you because believe me, I am looking."

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After Flynn had left the room, Hacker cleared his throat, "For the record, we aren't the only one looking at Flynn."

Looking at Hacker, Cullen asked, "What have you heard?"

Smiling, Hacker responded, "A little birdie told me that Dr. Brennan's father is interested in Flynn."

Blowing the air through his lips, Cullen closed his eyes briefly, "Shit, that's just great. My job as cat herder just got harder."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

For those of you who don't know what Bizzaro World is: it is a planet where everything is done the opposite of those of who live on Earth. Good is bad and bad is good (Superman Comics, which I do not own.)

Well, what do you think? I hope you've enjoyed it so far. I think I will wait for more of season 8 to air; so, I can see if they bring Flynn back. I also want to see how Pelant is going to re-enter the story. That means that this story will rest for awhile. Don't worry, this story is not done yet. I would have started this story later than I did; but, I was afraid I would lose interest or forget how I wanted to write it. Writers, what can you do?


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter contains spoilers for "The Corpse on the Canopy"; so, if you haven't seen this episode yet and you want to be spoiler free then skip this story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in his safe house, Pelant thought about the close call he had at Serberus, "I can't believe he shot me. It wasn't supposed to have happened like that. I'd had it all planned out. I'd force Jack Hodgins to make a life altering decision, choose his money or save the lives of little girls he didn't know. That part of my plan worked and he'd made his decision and he chose the lives of the children. I didn't really care which decision Hodgins made because Jack Hodgins lost no matter what happened. He either lost all of his family fortune or he had to live with the blood of those little girls on his hands for the rest of his life not to mention spark an international incident."

Trying to drink a glass of tea, Pelant tried to ignore the pain he felt in his face, "Hodgins had dared to put his hands around my throat he'd dared to threaten to kill me. Me. I couldn't let him get away with that. He had to be punished. I could have killed him. I could have killed him and his entire family; but, that wouldn't have been any kind of real punishment. He would have been dead and he wouldn't have learned anything, he wouldn't have suffered. It's important that he learn from the mistake he made. It was important that he understand that harming me was not in his best interests. He needed to suffer for what he did. Losing all of his family's money was one way. Being responsible for the deaths of those children would have been another way. How rich it was for me to force him to make that choice knowing that I was the one making him choose."

Standing, Pelant moved into the bathroom to check on his wound. After removing his bandage, he looked closely in to the mirror to make sure he didn't see any infection. "It is interesting that he chose the lives of the girls. He comes from a very wealthy family. Jack's family was so rich that his wealth was counted in billions. Now, I have that money. I have all of that money under my control."

Seeing the damage to his face, Pelant felt a burning rage starting to build up inside, "As for Agent Booth, he shot me. He shot me and he hurt me. It's a miracle I'm not dead. I knew he was a sniper. Hell, I knew he was a former Ranger and he'd been responsible for successful black ops in Iraq and Kosovo; but, still, how he made that shot, well, it just doesn't seem human. He shot me. He can't get away with that. He has to pay for that. I'm going to have to think of something to make him pay for almost ruining my revenge on Hodgins and for shooting me."

Replacing his bandage, Pelant moved back into the bedroom and lay down, "God, I have a headache. I never have headaches but I sure as hell have one right now."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth, sitting beside Flynn's bedside, glanced at Sweets and then back at Flynn's comatose form, "I can't believe I didn't kill Pelant. I had a chance to end this nightmare and I failed. He's still out there and because of me he's a danger to Bones and everyone else."

Sweets, seeing Booth's anger, shook his head, "You really need to stop doing that. His car was pulling away from you very fast and you only had seconds to set up your shot and take it. You're not God, Booth. You did the best you could."

Not listening, Booth stood up and paced over to the window. Leaning against the window, Booth stared at Flynn, "The balls on that guy. He killed a mercenary that was working for Serberus. How that little troll did that I'll never know. Xavier Freeman was a ex-Navy Seal and Pelant killed him and then flayed him and used Freeman's body as a message. My God, he's got to be the most evil son-of-a-bitch I've ever had to deal with."

Staring at Flynn's chest rise and fall, Booth shook his head, "I still don't know how he managed to create an ID that let him have access to Serberus' main frame and a remote drone. What really boggles my mind is the fact that he aimed that damn remote drone at a girl's school in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan just so he could force Hodgins to choose between the lives of those girls or save his money from being drained from his accounts. I knew Pelant was a genius but my God, I've never seen anything like this."

Sighing, Sweets responded, "Booth, he's not perfect and he's not God. We're going to get him. Maybe not today; but, we are going to catch that guy."

Smiling sadly, Booth turned his gaze towards Sweets, "Hodgins let his family's money be taken so that Angela could track the drone long enough to cause it to self-destruct. I knew Hodgins was someone you'd want on your side when the going got tough; but, what he did, saving those little girls lives, it proved to me just how much of a man he really is. I admire him for what he did. He lost his family's entire fortune to save those children."

Nodding his head, Sweets stood up and stretched, "Hodgins is a very honorable person. I wouldn't have expected him to do anything less than what he did. Life is sacred to him."

Walking over to the foot of Flynn's bed, Booth stared at Flynn's still face. "Flynn, I don't know what to say about Flynn. I haven't trusted him for a long time. I haven't trusted him since the day he took control of Ethan Sawyer's murder case and he wouldn't consider anyone as a suspect except my Bones. He mishandled that investigation from the first day he took control and yet when he found out that Pelant was back in this country and I was looking for him Flynn offered to help me track that insane hacker down. He called in a favor and handed me information on Xavier Freeman that helped us track down Pelant's new identity. He stuck with me while I tried to track down Pelant and when it was time to go into Serberus and get Pelant, he went with me. He was with me when Pelant gained control of one of the building's self defense weapons and he used it to try and kill us both. Flynn was hurt helping me go after Pelant and I won't forget that. Whatever mistakes Flynn has made in the past are forgiven, at least by me. He'd made my life hellish while Bones was gone; but, he helped me go after Pelant when I needed him to and he almost died because of it. I won't forget that."

Sitting back down, Sweets crossed his legs, "I wish you'd have let me go in with you. I've practiced a lot on the range and I might have been able to help prevent Flynn from being hurt."

Shaking his head, Booth frowned, "I told you Sweets, I needed you to stand by just incase something happened to me." Pointing at Flynn's unconcious body, Booth sighed, "That could have easily been me. You and Caroline are the only ones that have all of the info on Pelant. Even Bones doesn't know everything. . . . I think we're going to have to rethink that. We need to make sure she knows everything. We need as much as help as we can get to find that psycho."

Frowning, Booth walked over to the unoccupied chair near the wall and sat down, "Bones was so brave while all of this was going on. Pelant sent her a gruesome message and she didn't flinch trying to find out what that message was. She knew that it was important that we find out Pelant's new identity and she and everyone at the Jeffersonian worked so hard to help me do my job. I couldn't have done my job if Bones and Hodgins and everyone else hadn't done their jobs. It's my fault that Pelant got away. Everyone did their jobs; so, if anyone is to blame for Pelant still being out there, then it all comes down to me. I let him get away."

Sighing, Sweets exclaimed, "Booth for crying out loud, you're not Superman. You did the best you could. There's no blame here. None."

Grinding his teeth, Booth crossed his arms across his chest, "I'm going to get that bastard and when I do, I'm going to rip his heart out. I've had enough of his brand of terror. He doesn't care who he hurts or kills as long as it helps him to achieve his sick goals. . . . God, I am so tired. I could have ended this and I screwed up."

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Hodgins sitting in his office, glared at the floor as Wendell sat in a chair near by. "That monster broke into my home and threatened my family. He knocked Angela and me out and put a flayed body over our bed. Then he . . . he went into the bedroom of my son and he . . . he touched my son. He put flower petals around my son as a message to me. If I ever get my hands on that worthless piece of shit I won't hesitate to kill him. Not again. I had a chance to kill him once. He'd followed me when I was trying to leave a message for Max in a cemetery while Dr. B was gone. I lost it when he confronted me and I actually had my hands around his throat; but, I stopped myself. I didn't want to be the kind of man that could just take a life because of anger and a need for revenge. I won't make that mistake again. I dream of the day that I can put my hands around that sick monsters throat and I can squeeze the life out of him."

Shaking his head, Wendell responded, "You don't mean that. You're not a killer. You believe that life is sacred."

Looking up at Wendell, Hodgins smirked, "He's taken my money from me; but, if he thinks that will break me then he's sadly mistaken. Sure I loved having all of that money; but, that money is not who I am. Someday he's going to find that out and I'm going to laugh my ass off when he does. He's going to find out who the real Jack Hodgins is and when he does it will be the last thing that he will learn in this life."

Standing, Wendell walked over to where Hodgins was sitting and placed his hand on Hodgins shoulder, "Look man, you have to let Booth and his guys handle this. You're not a cop. They'll get him. You'll see."

Ignoring Wendell, Hodgins stared at his doorway, "That monster thinks he can play with our lives and there won't be any repercussions. He's wrong. He thinks he's a superior human and that there isn't anyone smarter than he is. We taught him that he's wrong about that too. Booth almost got him. He tried; but, he isn't Superman. Booth's sure that he got a piece of Pelant and if he says it then it must be true. I hope Booth really hurt that monster. I hope he hurt him badly."

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So, what do you think of this chapter? Any comments? I would appreciate it if you would review my story. Thanks.


	7. Chapter 7

A reminder: This chapter contains spoilers for "The Corpse on the Canopy"; so, if you haven't seen this episode yet and want to be spoiler free then skip this story.

Thank you for the reviews and the follows. It makes me happy to see these during the day.

I don't own Bones. I know you're shocked.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth hated meetings and he knew this one wasn't going to be any different. Arriving early, Booth sat down and moved his chair a little away from the conference table. Pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket, Booth decided to call Brennan.

"Brennan."

"Hey Bones, how you doing?"

Turning her gaze to the playpen in the corner of her office, Brennan smiled, "We're fine Booth. Cam agreed that it might be wise to keep Christine and Michael at the Lab; so, they're both in my office right now."

Smiling, Booth asked, "So what are they doing? Playing?"

Shaking her head, Brennan replied, "They're napping right now."

Sighing, Booth cleared his throat, "I'm sorry that Christine and Michael's routine has to be overturned right now. It's my fault that I didn't kill that bastard."

Angry, Brennan responded, "Booth, you did the best you could. You said you hit him and I'm hoping that's enough."

Shaking his head, Booth replied, "That's not going to happen Bones. That guy hates us and he wants to hurt us badly. He's going to keep coming after us until we kill him or catch him."

Staring at the toddlers sleeping in the playpen, Brennan replied, "I hope you kill him, Booth. I hope you kill him soon."

Hearing silence on the other end, Brennan moved her gaze to the Lab outside her doorway, "I'm sorry Booth. I know you hate that. I hope he's captured very soon."

Shaking his head, Booth cleared his throat, "No, Bones. I want the same thing you do. I want that bastard dead too. He had his chance and he used the system to evade justice. Then he went after our friends. . . No, you don't have to apologize to me for wanting that troll dead. I want the same thing."

Watching Wendell approaching her office, Brennan moved the phone to her left ear, "I need to go Booth. I'll see you this evening."

"I love you Bones. Don't worry we're going to get him."

"I love you too, Booth."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo

Booth was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed when Cullen and Caroline walked into the room.

Staring at Booth, Caroline walked over to where Booth was sitting and dropped her bag on the floor next to him. Booth jerking awake, rubbed his face and stared at Caroline.

Patting Booth's shoulder, Caroline commiserated, "Yeah, I had one of those nights too, Cher'."

Smiling, Booth replied, "I didn't get to bed until about 12:30 last night. 5:30 came pretty fast."

Cullen, listening to his head of Major Crimes, moved to the head of the table and sat down. Caroline, turning away from Booth, sat down next to him.

Andrew Hacker, walking in shortly afterwards, closed the door behind him and walked around the table to sit across from Booth and Caroline.

Placing his coffee cup on the table in front of him, Hacker glanced at Booth then Caroline and finally Cullen, "I had the cameras removed from this room earlier today. I had the PC taken out of here too. Since the security at Serberus didn't stop Pelant, I decided that he needed a little less access to us."

Nodding his head, Cullen turned to stare at Booth, "Ok, I read your report. The CEO at Serberus is over at the Pentagon this morning explaining why his company shouldn't lose their multi-million dollar contract and why his company is still viable. Pelant pretty much destroyed that company's reputation."

Smirking, Booth responded, "That was probably part of his plan. Take down a company doing business with the Pentagon, steal money from Jack Hodgins, embarrass the United States with that near miss at that girl's school in Kandahar. I think he pretty much accomplished everything he wanted."

Smiling, Caroline responded, "Not everything. The D.C. police found his get away car. They found blood on the windshield and on the dash, the steering wheel and the column. I don't know what you hit and how you did what you did; but, you hit something."

Nodding his head, Booth leaned forward, "Yeah, I was pretty sure I hit him. I just hope the bastard bled out somewhere."

Shaking her head, Caroline sighed, "Probably not Cher'. A dead Veterinarian was found just outside of the D.C. area. His nurse found him this morning. A Sheriff's deputy was sent out and decided to call in the FBI after seeing the crime scene. It looks the Vet was murdered and then his medical supplies were used. Some of our techs went out to the crime scene and I just got a call ten minutes ago. The blood type found in the surgery matches Pelant. We'll have DNA tests run on it; but, we can pretty much give up on him going to a hospital. Whatever you did to him, he fixed it himself."

Disgusted, Booth leaned back in his chair. "Damn it. I was hoping he was hurt badly enough to need a hospital."

Placing her hand on Booth's shoulder, Caroline patted it, "Sorry Cher'. We didn't have that kind of luck."

Listening to Caroline, Cullen folded his hands and placed them on the table in front of him. "Ok, Pelant is a priority. We have an APB out for him and every law enforcement agency in the country knows how badly we want this guy. He can't evade us forever."

Snorting, Booth replied, "So we catch him and then he uses another 'Get Out Of Jail' card'."

Shaking her head, Caroline replied, "Oh no Cher'. That won't happen again. We have enough evidence against him to hold him no matter what name or nationality he's using. You catch him and this time we will keep him."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Please let me know what you think of my story. I really love reviews. Thanks.


	8. Chapter 8

A reminder: This chapter contains spoilers for "The Corpse on the Canopy"; so, if you haven't seen this episode yet and want to be spoiler free then skip this story.

Thanks for reading my story and reviewing it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Watching his son playing with a car and a plastic horse, Hodgins wished he could be a child again.

"The Cantilever Group has forensic accountants working on tracking down my money. Pelant may be a computer genius; but, he isn't the brilliant money man he thinks he is. Some of the money has been retrieved already. It's going to take a lot of time and I probably won't get it all back; but, I'm not as broke as Pelant wanted me to be."

Feeding Christine, Brennan watched her daughter eat her peaches. "That's good. I hope you make arrangements in the future to keep some cash set aside for emergencies."

Looking up, Hodgins smiled, "Oh yeah. Have you made arrangements like that?"

Nodding her head, Brennan glanced at Hodgins, "Yes, I have cash in a safe here, at home, in Booth's office and in a safety deposit box at a bank I don't have accounts with. Pelant may drain my accounts if he wishes; but, he won't get everything."

Nodding his head, Hodgins sighed, "I wanted Booth to kill that guy you know. I don't just mean through official channels either. I wanted him to use his sniper skills and hunt that monster down and put a bullet through that sick brain of his."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan responded, "That isn't who Booth is. He has to work in the system. He's not Brodsky."

Startled, Hodgins stood up, "No, no, I didn't mean to imply that Booth is like Brodsky. I know he isn't. I just . . . I was just so scared and so angry and I knew that if Booth really went off the reservation, he could get rid of Pelant. He could get rid of . . . . You don't think Booth hates me for asking him to do that do you? I was angry, I was really really angry when I asked that smart ass question about how many kills Booth's made. I consider Booth a friend, I didn't mean to downplay his past like that, to make light of killing people. I realize that taking a life isn't an easy thing to do, especially for a man like Booth."

Grimacing, Brennan replied, "Booth has killed many men in the past; but, it was his job. He was ordered to do it and he did it. He couldn't kill someone outside a chain of command. . . . Booth feels the death of everyone he kills. He remembers their faces and sometimes he dreams about them. Sometimes he says those faces invade his dreams and it's hard for him to forget them. He had to refuse your request. He didn't have a choice."

Nodding his head, Hodgins replied, "Yeah, I need to talk to him sometime and let him know that I was wrong to ask him to do what I asked him to do. The only excuse I had was I was so afraid. All I could think of was Pelant in my house, touching my son, knocking us out and placing that that . . . . I lost it."

Wiping Christine's face with a damp wash cloth, Brennan responded, "We were all afraid. Booth was the only one who really kept a cool head."

Laughing quietly, Hodgins shook his head, "Not hardly, Dr. B. You kept your feet pretty well grounded too. Ange and I owe you two a lot for being there for us. We really do."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in Flynn's hospital room, Booth read over some files he'd brought with him. Checking over an after action report, Booth became aware of moaning coming from Flynn. Placing his reports on the table next to the hospital bed, Booth stood up and walked over to the bed. Observing Flynn's face, Booth witnessed him open his eyes.

Smiling, Booth remarked, "So, you decided to rejoin the living."

Blinking his eyes, Flynn turned his head and sighed, "Can I have some water?"

Shaking his head, Booth replied, "Sorry. You can have ice chips though."

Nodding his head, Flynn lifted his hand as if to grab something. Booth picking up the cup from the table situated over Flynn's feet, spooned up a few ice chips and aimed it at Flynn's mouth. "Open up."

Desperate for water, Flynn opened his mouth to accept the ice chips. Booth watching Flynn roll the chips around in his mouth, put the spoon back in the cup, "Your wife went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. She'll be back in a little while."

Nodding his head, Flynn croaked, "Did we catch the bastard?"

Shaking his head, Booth watched Flynn's face, "No, he got away."

Closing his eyes, Flynn exclaimed, "Damn it."

Patting Flynn on the shoulder, Booth commesirated, "Yeah, we'll get him sooner or later. Every law enforcement agency in the country is looking for that psycho."

Nodding his head, Flynn exclaimed, "I hope he's shot resisting arrest. Save the tax payers the cost of a damn trial."

oooooooooooo

Sam Cullen carefully sipped his coffee and nodded to Andrew Hacker as he moved several folders across his desk.

Tapping the top folder, Hacker informed his boss, "Serberus is done. The Pentagon nulled their contracts and they were informed that they'd lost all of their contracts with all government agencies."

Nodding his head, Cullen replied, "The CEO tried to get the President to intervene; but, that didn't go anywhere. No way anyone wants to be seen on the side of Serberus."

Smirking, Hacker leaned back in his chair, "Yeah, not after the President of Afghanistan practically had a cow on TV about that remote drone almost hitting that girl's school."

Placing his cup in front of him on the conference table, Cullen moved the folders and picked up the one he was looking for. After reading it, Cullen put it down and leaned back in his chair, staring at the folder.

"I guess with Flynn lying in the hospital shot by Pelant we're supposed to assume that Flynn was a hero doing his job going after Pelant?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Hacker rubbed his chin, "Looks like it."

Nodding his head, Cullen sighed, "What did Booth say?"

Leaning his elbows on the table, Hacker shook his head, "Booth says he doesn't know. He told me that until we find something he's going to give Flynn the benefit of the doubt."

Picking up his coffee cup, Cullen sipped a little of the bitter brew, "I don't think we have a choice either."

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Please review my story and let me know what you think of it. Thanks.


	9. Chapter 9

A reminder: This chapter contains spoilers for "The Corpse on the Canopy"; so, if you haven't seen this episode yet and want to be spoiler free then skip this story.

Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking into Booth's office, Hodgins hunched his shoulders, "Hey Booth, I know you're busy; but, do you think I could talk to you for a few minutes."

Looking up from a report, Booth smiled, "Sure, what do you need?"

Nervous, Hodgins walked across the office and sat down on the chair across from Booth, "Look, man, I owe you a huge apology."

Puzzled, Booth asked, "What for?"

Clasping his hands together, Hodgins nervously licked his lips, "The other day, when you and Dr. B came to my house after that psycho put that . . . That . . . Uh, I said some ugly things to you and I'm sorry. The only excuse I have is that I was afraid and I was very angry. I couldn't think of anything but killing Pelant. That smart ass remark I made about how many kills you made, that was over the top and definitely over the line. I'm sorry."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth replied, "Don't worry about."

Shaking his head, Hodgins responded, "No, I do worry about it. You're a friend of mine and I hope you think of me as a friend and what I said to you about going off the reservation and killing Pelant, it was wrong. You're not Brodsky and I don't want you to think I think you are. I know you, Booth. I know what you're capable and I know, I really really know that you can't just murder someone because its convenient. Hell if you could Pelant would be dead right now. I really know that and I want you to know that I know that. You're an honorable man and I'm glad. You keep the rest of us in line when we need it."

A little flattered, Booth smiled, "Don't worry about it, Hodgins. I know you weren't yourself. Hell, you had a flayed body lying over your bed. Anyone would have lost it under those circumstances."

Smiling weakly, Hodgins pointed out, "Except you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth smiled reassuringly, "You forget I've been in a few war zones. Death isn't as shocking to me as it is to you."

Staring at Booth's still hands, Hodgins replied, "Except you'd think I would be used to death too. How many gross bodies have a I seen over the past few years? I know what man is capable of doing to his fellow man."

Pursing his lips, Booth shook his head, "It's one thing to see strangers dead in vacant buildings or alleyways, it's another thing to see one in your house."

Exhaling deeply, Hodgins stood up, "Thanks man. Thanks for being the calm in the storm and thanks for being there for my family. You're a pretty good friend."

Smiling, Booth reached out his hand. Hodgins, surprised, leaned over Booth's desk and shook it.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Keeping track of Serberus had been easy enough. Serberus and the CEO of the company were hot news and every network around the world seemed to take delight in analyzing why and how Serberus was destroyed. The talking heads seemed to be engrossed with the fact that someone could bypass security and enter Serberus headquarters, take over the companies servers, commandeer a remote drone and almost cause a girls school in Afghanistan to be destroyed.

Smiling, Pelant savored the moment. "This is what I've been trying to do. This is what I've been trying to show the people. You allow some civilian company to play at war in the name of a sovereign country and this is what can happen."

Shaking his head, Pelant mulled over his mistakes. "I've been doing this all wrong. Breaking into the Pentagon computers, interfering with ongoing operations by the military in a war zone, that just made people angry. They didn't get what I was trying to show them. They get it now. They really get it now."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tom Molner, CEO of Serberus, sat in his office and contemplated the destruction of his company.

Staring at his CFO Boyd Cramer, Tom promised, "If Christopher Pelant thinks this is the end of it, he's in for a rude awakening. My company may be destroyed; but, I still have my resources. I still have contracts with very dangerous men and Christopher Pelant is about to find that out."

Curious, Boyd stared at his friend, "What can we do? The FBI has been looking for that vermin for weeks and haven't found him. They had him in their hands and he walked away from murder charges. What makes you think we can do what the FBI hasn't been able to do?"

Laughing, mirthlessly, Tom tapped his index finger on the desk in front of him, "The FBI has to abide by the law. I don't."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Please let me know what you think of my story, thanks.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for supporting my story. The reviews have been very nice.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Studying his computer screen, Pelant didn't relish what he was seeing. If anything, his feelings towards the information he was perusing made him feel a little nauseous.

Pelant had managed to crack the firewall that Tom Molner, former CEO of Serberus had set up on his home PC and found several emails to still contracted employees. Even though Molner's company was now destroyed, Pelant wanted to keep track of the CEO of Serberus and see what his new plans were. Pelant was well aware that just because Serberus was no longer a viable company that didn't mean that Molner wasn't capable of creating a new company. Christopher Pelant, his new mission in life firm in his mind, wanted to destroy any company Tom Molner was associated with that rose from the ashes like the Phoenix from Serberus' remains.

Reading the emails to Molner's hired warriors and assassins, Pelant found that there was now a bounty on his head. Molner was willing to pay five million dollars to whomever killed the destroyer of Serberus. Frowning, Pelant copied the names of the hired men Molner had contacted into a new file and prepared to research these men. "We'll see who wins this hand."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

A body was found lying in the garden of the Jeffersonian by one of the employees taking a morning walk and a cigarette break. Tripping over the body as he rounded the path, Doug Clary scrambled to his feet and stared at the body. Stepping closer, Doug shook his head, "Damn it, Dr. Brennan is going to kill me for messing up a crime scene. Damn it all to Hell."

Stomping back into the building, Doug walked over to the Lab and then over to Cam's office. Finding Cam working on her PC, Doug knocked on the door frame and then stepped into the room, "Uh, Dr. Saroyan. There's something in the Jeffersonian garden you need to see."

Puzzled, Cam looked up, "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Doug replied, "I tripped over a body on the path near the Adriana Tea Roses." Holding his hands up in a placating manner, Doug exclaimed, "I didn't mean to mess with the body, Dr. Saroyan, I know you guys hate for anyone to touch things at crime scenes; but, it was an accident I swear . . ."

Standing, Cam interrupted him, "Doug, catch your breath. I understand that you fell on the body, it was an accident. I need you to show me where it is."

Nodding his head, Doug responded, "Yeah, sure."

Following Doug out into the garden, Cam followed him until they found the body lying in the path way. Staring at the body, Cam bit her bottom lip. Turning to Doug, Cam smiled, "You work in the Bronze Age Exhibit area, don't you?"

Nodding his head, Doug replied, "Yeah, I do."

Complimenting Doug, Cam remarked, "You're handling this all fairly calmly Doug. It's not everyone that could trip over a body and have the presence of mind to come and tell me and then lead me to where the body is."

A little prideful, Doug remarked, "I worked in a hospital as an orderly while I was going to college. It paid the bills and I learned a lot while I had that job."

Smiling, Cam informed, "I'm going to go and make a few phone calls and have security come out and take over the site until I can get the FBI out here. I need you to stand here and keep everyone away from the body and let's say about a twenty foot perimeter around the body. Can you do that?"

Nodding his head, Doug replied, "Sure can Dr. Saroyan. . . . Uh, do you think Dr. Brennan will be mad when she finds out I tripped over the body. I mean it's not like I did it on purpose. She's going to mad isn't she?"

Shaking her head, Cam tried to soothe Doug, "Dr. Brennan will understand Doug. Just wait here and lets get this taken care of. You'll have to come back to the Lab and let me examine you for any particulates just in case."

Looking down at his pants, Doug exclaimed, "Shit, I think I may have some of the victim on me."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking back out to the garden, Brennan demanded an answer, "What do you mean, he tripped over the body? That seems a careless thing to do."

Shaking her head, Cam responded, "Please Dr. Brennan, Doug didn't do it on purpose. Don't berate the poor man when you see him. He really has been very professional since he found the body. He's been a big help and I don't want you to make him think any thing different."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan replied, "I'll need to examine Mr. Clary to see if he picked up anything from the victim when he fell on him or her."

Nodding her head, Cam replied, "Doug already knows that. He's waiting in the garden."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving in the garden, Brennan fond the possible crime scene and squatted next to the victim. Studying the body, Brennan remarked, "Male, about thirty years old. In very good physical shape. I'd say that he might have died within the last eight hours or so. No obvious cause of death."

Standing, Brennan took a few steps away from the body and called Booth.

"Booth, I need you to come to the Jeffersonian as soon as possible."

Worried, Booth asked, "Is something wrong with you or Christine?"

Shaking her head, Brennan replied, "No, I need you for professional reasons. A body has been found in the gardens of the Jeffersonian."

Curious, Booth asked, "Anyone you know?"

Shaking her head, Brennan replied, "No. From the tattoos on his arms, I'd say he's either military or ex-military."

Frowning, Booth asked, "I'm on the way. I'll be there in twenty or less."

Staring at the body, Brennan replied, "Booth, the victim as a Serberus ID card sticking out of his mouth."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Reviews are appreciated. Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.

A/N: A Phoenix was a Greek mythological long lived bird that is reborn from the ashes of its predecessor. Amongst other thinks, the Phoenix signifies renewal.

Note: I also updated Partners this morning. I'm letting you know just in case you read that one and you didn't get an email. I didn't get one; so, I don't know if anyone else did.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the wonderful reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the Jeffersonian gardens, Booth soon found the crime scene. Staring at the body, Booth frowned, "Who found the body?"

Pointing at Doug Clary, Cam responded, "Doug Clary did. He tripped over it as he came around the pathway. He came and got me as soon as he found the body."

Smiling at Doug, Booth stepped closer to Doug, "So Doug, do you recognize the victim?"

Shaking his head, Doug crossed his arms against his chest, "No. He's a stranger to me."

Taking some note cards out of his pocket along with a pen, Booth asked, "Do you walk these paths often?"

Nodding his head, Doug replied, "Once a day. I come out mid morning and take a walk around the roses and then go back to work. It helps me relax."

"You work here at the Jeffersonian?"

Smiling, Doug stared at the building behind Booth, "Sure do. It's the best job I've ever had. I work in the Bronze Age exhibit."

Nodding his head, Booth made a few notations and then handed Doug a card and his pen, "Write down your name, your home phone, and cell phone. I may not need to talk to you again; but, I need your contact info just in case."

Writing, Doug glanced up at Booth, "Call me anytime. If I can help, I'd like to."

Patting Doug on the shoulder, Booth smiled, "Thanks."

After retrieving his pen and the card, Booth walked back to where the body was lying, "Cause of death?"

Shaking her head, Brennan replied, "Nothing is certain. I haven't found any obvious wounds yet."

Moving the head of the victim to the side, Cam sighed, "I'll have to do an autopsy. I probably can give you an idea tomorrow morning."

Staring at the face of the victim, Booth remarked, "I seem to remember seeing this guy before. You said he had a Serberus ID card in his mouth?"

Handing the bagged card to Booth, Cam remarked, "Maybe you saw him at Serberus."

Holding the card in his hand, Booth studied the face and the personal information listed on the card, "Maybe."

Copying down the pertinent information on a note card, Booth handed the ID back to Cam. "Okay, I'll see if I can find out who this guy is."

Curious, Cam asked, "Do you think this was Pelant's doing?"

Pursing his lips, Booth replied, "Probably."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Tom Molner, former CEO of Seberus, sat in the conference room down the hall from Booth's office and waited patiently. Checking his email on his phone, Tom looked up as Booth entered the room with Sweets.

Placing his phone on the table, Tom asked, "So, Agent Booth. What's this about?"

Sitting across from the polite man, Booth pulled a picture out of a folder he was carrying and slid it across the table towards the former CEO. Tom, pulling the picture closer, frowned, "Samuel Jones. A good man."

Leaning back in his chair, Booth responded, "He's dead. His body was found in the Jeffersonian Gardens yesterday morning."

Startled, Tom looked at Booth, "What . . . How was he killed?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth replied, "We're still trying to determine that."

Staring at the picture, Tom shook his head, "The guy was ex-Navy Seal. If he was murdered then whoever did it was either very lucky or better trained than Samuel. He wouldn't have gone down without one hell of a fight."

Pulling the picture back towards him, Booth asked, "Did Mr. Jones still work for you?"

Nodding his head, Tom responded, "Yes, I still have contracts with several men who were employed at Serberus. I plan to start up a new company soon."

Leaning forward, Sweets asked, "Do you have any operations going on right now that Mr. Jones would have been involved in?"

Shaking his head, Tom replied, "No, I'm paying salaries; but, most of my employees are inactive right now. I'm thinking of moving overseas and starting over somewhere like South America or Africa."

Alert, Booth asked, "You said most of your people are inactive. Does that mean some are doing jobs of some kind?"

Nodding his head, Tom replied, "Yes. Some of my employees had long term body guard contracts. They're still doing their jobs."

Staring at Tom, Booth prodded, "So Mr. Jones didn't have any assignments right now?"

Shaking his head slowly, Tom answered, "No."

Glancing at Sweets and then at Tom, Booth remarked, "Are you looking for Christopher Pelant?"

Smiling, Tom replied, "I'll let the FBI find that little worm and take care of him. I'm hoping I'll hear on the news that he's been shot and killed while trying to evade capture."

Cocking his head, Sweets asked, "So you don't have anyone looking for him?"

Shaking his head, Tom replied, "No."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Furious, Pelant was resting in his motel room, "I'll kill all of his men if Tom Molner wants it that way. He's a fool. The FBI couldn't keep me locked up and he thinks those muscle headed goons of his can find me and do me in. Ha. Mr. Molner has quite a shock coming to him. I can out think him and anyone else he wants to send after me. No one can stop me. No one."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Studying his reports, Hodgins was ready to give Cam the results of his tests.

Entering her office, he noticed Cam typing on her keyboard, "Hey Cam, I'm sure I have cause of death for Samuel Jones."

Turning to Hodgins, Cam asked, "A poison, but what kind?"

Nodding his head, Hodgins replied, "Amanita Ocreata, destroying angel. He probably thought he had food poisoning, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain for a few hours and then it stopped. He probably didn't think anything about it then a day or two later he suffered liver or kidney failure and entered a hepatic coma and died. It's a nasty way to die."

Placing her right hand over her mouth, Cam exclaimed, "My God."

Nodding his head, Hodgins glanced at his report, "Maybe Pelant slipped it into his food. Anyway, the victim swallowed it and within a couple of days, he was dead."

Blowing air between her lips, Cam spoke, "I'll tell Booth."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Destroying Angel, what the hell is that?"

Grimacing, Hodgins replied, ""It's a mushroom. A very deadly mushroom."

Sighing, Booth thought about it, "Whoever killed Samuel Jones would have had to slip it in his food somehow. God, that's bad."

Nodding her head, Cam replied, "Yeah, I went home last night and threw away every food item in my house that was open. I'm going to be eating a lot of take out for awhile and I'm not going to have it delivered either. I'll go get it myself."

Suddenly cold, Booth felt horrified, "Oh my God. That didn't even cross my mind."

Sighing, Cam responded, "You'd better think about it. Whoever killed Mr. Jones broke into his house and placed a very deadly mushroom in his food. That's the only way this could have happened. If it is Pelant then the only defense we have against that happening to any of us is to be careful about what we eat. Believe me, Destroying Angel is a horrible way to die. The minute Mr. Jones consumed that mushroom he was a dead man. There is no cure. They have had cases where they did a liver transplant and that saved the patient; but, that isn't always an option."

Feeling sick, Booth shook his head, "What kind of monster would kill someone like that?" Holding up his hand, Booth exclaimed, "Never mind. This has to be Pelant. I can't see it being anyone else."

Staring at the floor for a few seconds, Booth looked back at Hodgins, "So what does it look like? Where would the killer have got his hands on something like that?"

Grim, Hodgins responded, "They grow in woodlands or near them. They also grow in meadows near trees and shrubs. Hell, they even grow in people's lawns. You can find it in North America as well as Europe. Whoever the killer is wouldn't have had to order them, he could have just looked for it himself. The really bad thing about Destroying Angel is that it kind looks like button mushrooms, one of the most commonly consumed mushrooms in the world."

Sighing, Booth responded, "I love grilled mushrooms on my steak, damn it!"

Scratching his neck, Hodgins remarked, "Right now, I'd give those up for now if I was you."

Shaking his head, Booth stood up, "Okay, got it. Did the techs find anything in Samuel Jones apartment that had this mushroom in it?"

Shaking her head, Cam answered, "No. He probably threw away the trash before he got sick."

Nodding his head, Booth responded, "The squints couldn't find anything pointing to anyone being in Samuel Jones apartment except Samuel Jones. I was told that was one of the cleanest apartments that they'd seen in a long time."

Shaking her head, Cam grimaced, "I think I'll warn everyone that works in the Lab to be careful about what they eat or drink."

Walking towards the door, Booth glanced at Cam, "I guess I'd better go home tonight and check our food. Bones is not going to be happy about this."

Snickering, Hodgins responded, "I can tell you she knows about this and she isn't happy about this at all."

Rubbing his forehead, Booth muttered, "Oh God."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Reading the local paper, Pelant took delight in reading about the mysterious death of Samuel Jones. Checking the rest of the paper, he looked for but couldn't find any mention of some of the other calling cards he'd left to be found. Frowning, he folded the paper and threw it in the trash can.

Smiling, he rubbed his hands together, "Agent Booth should find his little package soon."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth was reading over a progress report from one of his agents when he received a phone call.

"Is this Seeley Booth?"

Staring at his report, Booth responded, "Special Agent Seeley Booth, yes. What can I do for you?"

Clearing her throat, the nervous woman replied, "I ah, just got home from work and I just happened to be walking my dog by your house and I really think you need to go home right now."

Puzzled, Booth asked, "May I ask who I'm talking to?"

Clearing her throat again, the very nervous woman responded, "My name is Alicia Gowen. I live six houses down from your house. I really, really think you need to come home, Agent Booth."

Trying to be patient, Booth asked, "What's wrong, Ms. Gowen, if my house is on fire I think it would be a good idea to call the fire department."

Sighing, Alicia cleared her throat once more, "Uh. . . . No, that's not it. It' just well, there's a body hanging from the tree in your back yard. It's behind the tree and well, you can't really see it from the street or your house."

Annoyed and a little fearful, Booth asked, "If you can't see it from the street, then how did you see it?"

Embarrassed, Alicia replied, "Well this is embarrassing. Bobo likes to use the bathroom on your front lawn. I always clean it up, I really do; but, well, he likes your trees too and well, he uh, well, he got away from me and ran into your back yard and he was making such a fuss and well . . . I really think you need to come home, Agent Booth. My husband had told me that you worked for the FBI; so, that's why I haven't called the cops yet. I thought you might want to do that. Is that wrong, I mean do you want me to call the cops?"

His mouth dry, Booth responded, "No that's okay I'll do it. And Alicia thanks for calling me. Oh and don't worry about your dog. I . . . uh . . . thanks for calling me. I'm going to end this call and get some people out there right away."

Clearing her throat a final time, Alicia sighed, "This was such a quiet neighborhood."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Reviews would be fantastic. Thanks.


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. Reviews inspire me to keep writing. Just saying.

I definitely don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Standing in his front yard, Booth waited for Brennan to come home. He'd been at his house for the last two hours and the place was swarming with FBI agents and the local police. Deputy Director Cullen had arrived thirty minutes after Booth and he had been in high dudgeon since he'd exited his car. The Metro police had attempted to claim jurisdiction and Booth had called Hacker who had in turn called Cullen.

Arriving on the scene, Cullen had asked who the lead detective was and where he was located. Walking into the back yard, Cullen had noticed Booth sitting on a lawn chair watching Metro plain clothes detectives standing over near the oak tree. Stalking over to where the detectives were, Cullen flashed his badge and identification.

Flicking his gaze between the three detectives, Cullen snapped, "Who's in charge?"

Police Lieutenant Jeff Jackson turned, "I am, the FBI doesn't have jurisdiction."

Glaring at the Lieutenant, Cullen responded, "One of my Agents has been threatened; so, yes, I do have jurisdiction."

Shaking his head, Jackson responded, "This is a murder investigation."

Nodding his head slowly, Cullen replied, "We believe that this crime was perpetuated by Christopher Pelant. He's wanted by the FBI for murdering several people not to mention the attempted murder of several school children in another country. We have the best resources available to work this crime scene. I need jurisdiction to bring my people in."

Curious, Detective Jackson asked, "Who are you going to bring in?"

Smiling grimly, Cullen replied, "The Jeffersonian Medico-Legal unit. They have the best Anthropologist in the country working there as well as several highly trained specialists. We use them all of the time. I want to use them here."

Pointing at Booth, Jackson informed Cullen, "He can't investigate this murder. This house belongs to him; so, he's still a suspect until I can check out his alibi."

Shrugging his shoulders, Cullen responded, "He's not the only agent that works at the FBI. He'll stay out of it."

Glancing at his sergeant, Jackson mulled it over quickly, "Okay you can have co-jurisdiction. I want to be involved."

Smiling, Cullen glanced over at the hanging body, "Let me call in my people and the Jeffersonian team. When the ME gets here, I would rather that he waited for my people to get here to supervise."

Nodding his head, Jackson replied, "Fine."

Walking over to where Booth was sitting, Cullen sat down on the chair next to him, "We're going to have to share jurisdiction. You can't be involved since it's your yard and your tree. You're a suspect for now."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth continued to star at his oak tree, "I didn't recognize the victim."

Nodding his head, Cullen sighed, "I'm really getting tired of this. What makes you think this is Pelant?"

Turning his gaze upon the Deputy Director, he grimaced, "The body has an ID sticking out of his mouth. I didn't touch anything and I only got close enough to get a quick look at the body; but, it looks like a Seberus ID card."

Glancing back at the tree, Cullen ordered, "Call in our people; but, you stay away. Assign an agent to this one and let him or her know that they're sharing jurisdiction."

Nodding his head, Booth pulled out his phone and made several phone calls. The last call he made was to Brennan.

"Yeah, Bones, look a body has been found in the back yard of our home. The Jeffersonian is being called in; but, you can't be part of the team. You and I are suspects right now."

Worried, Brennan asked, "Who is it? Did you recognize who the victim is?"

Shaking his head, Booth replied, "Nah, it isn't anyone I know. I think he has a Seberus card in his mouth. I couldn't get close enough to tell though."

"Booth, I will let Clark handle this crime scene. He is very good. I plan to come home in a few minutes. I have to pick up Christine from Day Care first."

Nodding his head, Booth smiled, "Alright, I'll meet you out front."

Turning towards Cullen, Booth shook his head, "Clark Edison is going to take care of this one. Bones is coming home with Christine but she understands that she can't be involved in this one."

Cullen's phone ringing, he answered it. His face turning pale he responded, "Honey, don't go near the body. I'll have a team over there very soon. . . . No, just go into the house and lock the door . . . yes, I'll be there as soon as I can. . . I love you too."

Ending his call, Cullen put his phone in his pocket, "Booth, I have a job for you and Dr. Brennan. As soon as she gets here and you can arrange for someone to look after your daughter, I need you to head over to my house. You'll need some squints. I'll stay here until the Jeffersonian team gets here. You'll need to get another team from the Jeffersonian out there with our squints."

Concerned, Booth asked, "What's going on?"

Sighing, Cullen responded, "My wife found a body hanging from our Cherry tree in the back yard."

Closing his eyes, Booth shook his head, "This is a nightmare."

Glancing at the oak tree, Cullen nodded his head, "No shit."

oooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think about my story. Thanks.


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews. I'm glad you like my little story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at Deputy Director Samuel Cullen's house, Booth and Brennan found the victim hanging from the cherry tree in the back yard. Walking towards the back of the house, Booth noticed the back door open and Julia Cullen standing in the doorway. Once she recognized Booth she exited her house and walked over towards Booth.

Stopping, Booth waited for Julia to come to him, "Mrs. Cullen. When did you find the body?"

Glancing nervously at the Cherry tree, Julia cleared her throat nervously, "I went out to the shed to retrieve my cutting shears. When I left the building, I saw the body hanging from the tree. You can't see it unless you're behind the tree."

Nodding his head, Booth started making notations on a card, "What time was that?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Julia replied, "Around 4:30 or so. I wanted some flowers for my dinning room table. As soon as I saw it, I walked close enough to see he was dead; but, not close enough to contaminate the crime scene." Staring at Brennan who was staring intently at the tree, Julia shook her head, "I have no idea when the body was put there. I haven't been in the back yard since yesterday morning."

Making notes, Booth glanced at Brennan and then Mrs. Cullen, "Do you know who the victim is? Did you recognize him?"

Shaking her head, Julia hugged herself, "No. He's a complete stranger to me."

Flashing her a smile, Booth pointed towards her house, "I think it would be better if you went back into your house and stayed there. My squints should be arriving any minute now."

Nodding her head, Julia replied, "I talked to Sam and he said he'll be home once he's taken care of your . . . Um . . . Well the problem at your house."

Watching her walk back into her house, Booth finished writing a few notes and walked over to the tree.

"Well Bones, cause of death?"

Annoyed, Brennan stepped away from the tree, "I'll be able to give that information once I've actually been able to examine the body."

Smiling, Booth looked at the body, "Just kidding Bones. I wouldn't want you to guess."

Nodding her head, Brennan replied, "Good."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

After Cam arrived along with several FBI techs and two Jeffersonian interns, the body was photographed as well as the tree and the surrounding area. The body was then cut down and Cam and Brennan did an initial examination.

Removing the card from the victim's mouth, Cam read off the information to Booth, "His name is George Hixon. This Serberus ID card is for employee identification."

Writing the name down, Booth frowned, "Cause of death?"

Shaking her head, Cam replied, "Considering what we found in the body we found at the Jeffersonian, I'll withhold my opinion for now."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth commented, "I wonder how many more of these we're going to find? Including my house, this makes three."

Frowning, Cam replied, "Considering we're dealing with a homicidal psycho, I'd say be prepared for more." Removing the thermometer from the victim's liver, Cam looked at Booth, "The victim was has been dead for about twenty hours."

Writing that down on a card, Booth sighed, "I think Pelant is leaving us a message."

Curious, Brennan looked up from the victim, "What would the message be?"

Placing his cards in his jacket pocket, Booth pulled out his phone, "Three victims in three days, all Serberus employees, all planted in places we consider safe, the Jeffersonian, our homes. He's trying to tell us that no place is safe and probably the CEO has a contract out for Pelant's head and Pelant plans to defend himself. I need to talk to Tom Molner again. I think that guy lied to me. I asked him if he had any on going operations going on and he told me no. I think that idiot has people looking for Pelant and the psycho wants us to know about it."

Shrugging her shoulders, Cam asked, "To do what, give Tom Molner a medal?"

Shaking his head, Booth moved is phone to his left hand, "Vigilantism is against the law, Cam. You can't take the law into your own hands. If you do you invite anarchy and chaos."

Sighing, Cam responded, "I won't tell if you don't."

Placing his call, Booth waited, "It's Booth, the victim appears to be a Serberus employee."

Staring at the victim, who was being examined by Clark and the local ME, Cullen responded, "So was the victim found at your house. How is Julia?"

Staring at the back of the house, Booth answered, "She wasn't happy about what was going on; but, she was taking the whole thing pretty calmly."

Sighing, Cullen replied, "If I get my hands on that little weasel. . . Alright, any idea what's going on?"

Turning and gazing at the body of George Hixon, Booth replied, "Yeah, I think Tom Molner has a bounty out on Pelant and Pelant wants us to know about it."

Pursing his lips, Cullen turned his gaze to Clark who was looking at a thermometer, "Great, just great."

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	15. Chapter 15

Thank you for reading my story. I appreciate it.

Just in case you're curious, my plan is to eventually connect this story to the season 8 finale of Bones. I will then continue the story past that point. If you haven't seen season 8 and you want to be spoiler free then I really recommend that you skip this story.

This is reminder that this story is rated T for violence and language.

I don't own Bones.

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George Hixon's body had been removed from Deputy Director Cullen's back yard and Booth was escorting Brennan to his SUV when his phone rang. "Booth." Listening to the caller, Booth suddenly became agitated. Brennan noticing the anger on her partner' face, stopped and waited for him to end his call.

Angry, Booth placed his jacket in his jacket pocket. "Sorry Bones, we have one more crime scene to check out before we go home."

Worried, Brennan asked, "Where is the crime scene? Why are you angry?"

Attempting to regain some calm, Booth took a deep breath and released it slowly. "A body was found in the back yard of Caroline's house. She's ready to blow a gasket. She says she recognizes the victim but she won't tell me who it is."

Watching Booth as he glanced back at the Cullen's back yard , Brennan commented, "Our house, The Jeffersonian, Deputy Director Cullen's back yard and now Caroline Julian's backyard. Christopher Pelant is not only psychotic he's out of control. He can't possibly have managed to leave bodies in all of these places and not leave evidence behind. We will connect him to these murders and we will find him, Booth. You'll find him. I'm certain of it."

Sighing, Booth walked closer to Brennan and placed his arm around her waist, "I wish I was confident that we were going to catch him like you are." Releasing her, he jammed his hands in his jacket pockets, "Damn it. We had him. He was behind bars and we let the Egyptian government walk in and take him. We should have found a way to hold him. This guy is going to keep killing until he makes a mistake and we catch him or he goes after the wrong person and that person kills him. What drives me crazy is, all of these men that he's killed since we let him go, these men would be alive if we'd found a way to keep him."

Stepping closer to Booth, Brennan placed her hand on his arm, "It is not your fault that he was released Booth. He outsmarted all of us when he used the Egyptian government to leave the country and our jurisdiction. If Caroline couldn't find a way to prevent it then at the time there was no way to stop it. It is what it is. Right now, we are working these new cases and I am telling you Booth that no matter how smart he is, he will eventually make a mistake and when he does, we will prove that he is behind these murders and you will track him down."

Calmer, Booth shook his head, "I know it's not my fault Bones. I'm just so angry that Pelant is still out there terrorizing and killing. He's insane and I'm worried about who he might go after next. . . . Look, I want to send Christine away. I'm afraid that when we get close to him, he's going after her. He's crazy. I don't think the life of a child would mean anything to him."

Shaking her head, Brennan sighed, "I think that would be a mistake Booth. Right now, we have some control over where she is and who she's with. If we were to send her away from us she would lose our protection. The fact of the matter is, if Christopher Pelant really wanted to harm Christine, he would find a way to do it whether she is here or somewhere else. At least if she's here, we'll understand the danger she's in. We are more alert than anyone else we sent her to be with."

Smiling, Booth shook his head, "I wasn't thinking about Russ or Jared, Bones. I was thinking that Max would be the perfect guard dog. We both know he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone that proved a danger to Christine. Why not let him take Christine and run? Pelant would never find them and if they did, it would be the last thing he ever did."

Studying her hands, Brennan finally looked up, "I agree that Dad would be perfect as Christine's body guard; but, I can't allow him to take our daughter from you again. I did that to you once and I promised you that would never happen again. If you want Max to help watch over Christine then I don't have a problem with that; but, I will not allow him to take your daughter from you again."

Licking his bottom lip, Booth nodded his head, "Alright. I'll call Max this evening and ask him to move in with us until Pelant is caught or killed. I don't want our daughter going to day care until this all over. We can't take any more chances. Not when it comes to someone who thinks taking a life is no important than blowing your nose on a Kleenex. He doesn't value life and believe me that worries me."

Nodding her head, Brennan sighed, "That worries me too."

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Arriving at Caroline's house, Booth parked behind a Metro police car. Looking around, Booth noticed that Clark was standing at the side of the house watching Brennan. Walking up the driveway, Booth noticed the strained look on the young anthropologist's face. Brennan, her kit in her hand, followed Booth up the driveway.

Arriving at Clark's side, Booth looked around, "Where's the body?"

Pointing over his shoulder, Clark answered, "In the back yard. He, uh, whoever did this is . . . Uh . . ." Staring at Brennan, he remarked, "I decided to wait for you or another agent to show up before I approached the body. The photographer has already taken all the pictures he needs. The techs are just waiting for orders to start processing the sight."

Puzzled, Booth asked, "Why are you shook up about this one Clark? You're usually pretty calm and in control."

Sighing, Clark grimaced, "Yeah, once you see the victim it might be self-explanatory."

Feeling a chill run down his back, Booth stepped around Clark and moved quickly towards the back yard. Spotting Caroline standing near the back door to her house, Booth waved at her and moved towards where the victim was lying. As he stepped closer, he recognized the victim and stopped.

Brennan following behind Booth had to stop abruptly to keep from stepping into him. Puzzled, she saw the tense pose of her partner's body and stepped around him to find out what had caused his body to suddenly to become so rigid.

Spying the victim lying on the ground, posed with his arms crossed across his chest, Brennan found herself looking at Zach Addy. Crying out, she took a step towards his body only to suddenly find herself in the arms of her lover.

Holding her tightly against his chest, he heard his lover suddenly keen. The sound of her grief resonated through him making him feel her loss. Crying, Brennan held Booth tightly in her arms.

Afraid to let him go, she tearfully asked, "How? I don't understand. How did he do this? Zach has nothing to with the Jeffersonian, why kill him? Why kill Zach?"

Her crying intensifying, Booth could only hold onto Brennan and help her to remain standing. He knew that if he let her go, she'd fall and he'd vowed long ago he'd never let her fall. Never.

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	16. Chapter 16

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Sitting in Cam's office, Booth sipped his coffee and watched Cam as she finished her phone call. Noticing the haggard look on her face, he knew that she wasn't taking Zach's death very well.

Finishing her call, Cam placed her phone on her desk, "Dr. Sullivan has agreed to do Zach's autopsy. Dr. Goodrum will be flying out from Chicago tonight and he'll handle the forensics side of things."

Nodding his head, Booth sighed, "Bones is really taking his death pretty hard. It kind of scares me how hard. At least she won't have to deal with his murder investigation. She can concentrate on the others and leave Zach to someone else."

Shaking her head, Cam remarked, "I'm surprised that she let you talk her into letting someone else work on Zach's case."

Irritated, Booth shook his head, "She's not made of steel, Cam. She's human. Zach was her favorite intern and you know it. How can you. . . "

Holding up her hands, Cam shook her head, "Sorry, sorry. That didn't come out like it should have. I didn't mean to imply that Dr. Brennan was cold or anything. I just know she's the best in her field and I thought she'd resist anyone coming in and doing her job."

Leaning over and placing his coffee cup in the trash can, Booth straightened up, "I didn't have to talk her into allowing an outsider to come. She told me that she couldn't work on Zach's case. He was her favorite intern, you know that. God she took it so hard when he was arrested for murder; but, this, this is bad. She cried so much last night I started to worry that she wouldn't stop. She really loved that guy."

Surprised, Cam remarked, "As a friend."

Snorting, Booth stood up, "I'm not that insecure, Cam. He was like a little brother to her. She was closer to him than her own brother is. It's going to take time for her to get over this. She's strong and she'll get through it; but, it's not going to be anytime soon."

Nodding her head, Cam asked, "When will she be back to work? If she can't come in for a few days, I'll get Dr. Goodrum to work on the other victims we have. Clark is already working on them; but, I want someone working with him. Pelant is out of control and God knows who he's going to go after next. We need to catch him and it needs to be soon."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth shook his head, "I don't know how long she'll be out. I'll talk to her and see what she says. It probably won't be long. You know how she is. Work helps her center herself and it really calms her down when she's got a load of crap on her shoulders. I'll have her call you."

Nodding her head, Cam responded, "Dr. Sullivan is going to do Zach's autopsy this afternoon. I'm lucky he was available. There is no way I could cut Zach open. I just . . . I just don't understand why Pelant went after Zach. Zach hasn't been with the Jeffersonian for a long time. It just doesn't make any sense to me."

Shaking his head, Booth sighed, "Believe me it doesn't make any sense to me either. I can understand why he went after Tom Molner's mercenaries. It makes sense to take out the men who want you dead; but, Zach, he was in institution. What kind of threat did Zach pose to him?"

Turning back to her PC, Cam responded, "I just worry who else he'll go after next. Pelant is out of control."

Nodding his head, Booth left the office. Walking towards Brennan's office, Booth saw Hodgins standing on the platform looking at one of the victims that was currently being examined. Entering Brennan's office, Booth looked around and found the stuffed animal that Christine had dropped the other day. It was her favorite toy and he knew she missed it. Picking it up from the side table next to the couch, Booth straightened up to find Hodgins staring at him in the doorway.

"Hey, Hodgins."

Swallowing, the entymologist wiped his right sleeve across his eyes and cleared his throat, "Hey, man, I need to talk to you."

Tired, Booth sat on the couch and nodded his head, "Go ahead."

Entering the room, Hodgins cleared his throat again and responded, "I think it's my fault that Zach is dead."

Frowning, Booth asked, "What did you say?"

Sighing, Hodgins nodded his head, "I, uh . . . when I lost my money, I hired computer specialists to try to track the money down and try to get it back; but, well Pelant is better than the guys I hired. I don't know if you know it; but, I visit Zach once a week. I have been ever since they locked him up. Well, anyways, I told him about what Pelant did and Zach said he'd see if he could help. He has limited access to a computer at the institution he's living in . . . was living in and he thought he could write code and then pass it on to me and I could pass it on to Angela. He'd written several programs and they had failed; but, Angela and Zach thought it was only a matter of time. Zach called me and told me that he thought the next program he wrote might be the Trojan Horse we've been looking for. He was going to give me the code when I visited him the next time which was going to be tomorrow. I think Pelant found out what Zach and Angela were doing and he killed Zach. Zach was killed because he was trying to help me."

Staring at Hodgins, Booth ran his right hand through his hair, "Zach was an anthropologist not a computer hacker."

Shaking his head, the distraught scientist exclaimed, "Zach was a genius, an out of the stratosphere genius. He was more than an anthropologist, he was a computer specialist, he flew hobby planes, he . . . never mind, trust me. He was a genius when it came to computers and he was pretty sure he could find the Cantilever money. I think Pelant found out and he murdered Zach. He lured Zach out of the institution somehow and then he killed the guy. This is all my fault."

Sitting on the couch, Booth squeezed Christine's stuff giraffe, "I'm going to have to send a tech out to the institute and get the computer Zach used. They'll have to bring back everything that belonged to Zach and see what else we can find. I'm going over there in a few minutes to check on security cameras and talk to the keepers over there to see how he got out of there." Rubbing his right eye, Booth stared at Hodgins, "I better not find out you've been sneaking him out of there Hodgins."

Shaking his head, Hodgins folded his arms across his chest, "No way. I visited Zach in the institution. I didn't sneak him out of there."

Standing, Booth walked over to where Hodgins was standing. Patting Hodgins on the shoulder, Booth frowned, "I'm sorry for your lost, Jack. I know you two were friends."

Nodding his head, Hodgins bit his lower lip.

Seeing the sad look on Hodgins face, Booth walked away from his friend.

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	17. Chapter 17

Thank you for sticking with me story.

I don't own Bones.

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Standing in Zach's room, Booth watched his techs boxing up everything that belonged to Zach to get the stuff ready to be shipped to the Hoover. The manager of the institution, observing the activity around him remarked, "I've never had a patient sneak out of here before and then turn up murdered. His mother is demanding answers and I don't blame her."

Nodding his head, Booth frowned when one of the techs dropped Zach's 'King of the Lab' trophy. Wary of Booth, the tech picked up the gold colored trophy and blushed furiously carefully wrapping the trophy in bubble wrap and put it in a box.

Turning towards Dr. Cummings, Booth noticed the worried look on the doctor's face, "I understand that Zach had access to a computer."

Smiling, Dr. Cummings responded, "Of course, we allow limited access to certain websites for our patients. We monitor their history to make sure that they don't access inappropriate sites."

Making a note on a card, Booth looked back up, "We're going to have to take the PC he used for awhile."

Irritated, Dr. Cummings asked, "How long will you keep it?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth replied, "I don't know. We'll try to return it to you as soon as we can; but, I have no idea how long that will be. I also need copies of any security tapes you have for all exits to this building and the grounds for the last couple of weeks."

Sighing, Dr. Cummings clasped his hands together, "Why is the FBI investigating Mr. Addy's murder?"

Crooking his index finger at the one of the techs, Booth answered, "He used to work with the FBI on sensitive cases. We need to see if any of those cases are connected with Zach's murder."

Nodding his head, the manager replied, "Oh, I see."

The tech, responding to Booth, walked over to where he was standing and waited to see what Booth wanted.

Pointing at Dr. Cummings, Booth ordered, "Go with Dr. Cummings. He's going to give you copies of security footage for the grounds and the exits to this building for the last couple of weeks. He's also going to show you the PC Zach Addy used while he was here. Box that up and send it to the Jeffersonian. I want Angela Montenegro to get that as soon as possible."

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Arriving home, Booth found the downstairs dark and unoccupied. Worried, he climbed the stairs rapidly and then walked down the hallway noticing some light under their bedroom door. Walking down the hallway to Christine's room, Booth found his daughter sitting in her crib playing with a plush hippo. Holding out the stuffed giraffe he'd retrieved from Brennan's office earlier that day, Booth smiled, "Hey Sweetheart. See what Daddy has?"

Looking up, Christine laughed and reached up towards the wiggling Giraff, "Aff."

Handing the toy to his daughter, Booth reached down and ran his hand through her hair, "That's right, I found Aff." Watching her hug her toy giraffe, Booth smiled, "Daddy loves you baby."

Smiling, Christine pulled herself up and lifted her hands towards her father, "Up, Dadda."

Reaching over the railing, Booth picked up his toddler and sat down on the rocking chair next to the crib. Slowing rocking Christine, Booth talked quietly to her, "You know baby, we need to go on vacation. We could go camping. I bet you'd love that. I could fish and you could play in the water, of course I'd keep an eye on you and you'd have fun. Of course, Mommy isn't wild about vacations so it will be a job talking her into going. We don't have to go camping though that's just one of my ideas. I have a lot of them so don't worry. I'll run them by your mother and we'll see which one she's open to."

Noticing that his daughter was asleep, Booth smiled, stood up and placed her back in her crib. Staring at her for a few minutes, Booth covered her legs with her small blanket and then straightened. Sighing, Booth turned and left the room. Once he was outside his bedroom, he opened the door and peered in. Finding Brennan lying on the bed, Booth walked into the room and tried to determine if she was awake.

Hearing Booth enter the room, Brennan sighed, "I was tired so I went to bed early."

Nodding his head, Booth walked over to the bed and sat down next to Brennan. "I found Christine's giraffe in your office and brought it home. I just gave it to her. She was happy to get it back."

Rolling over and looking at Booth, Brennan tried to smile, "I'm glad. Aff is her favorite toy."

Reaching over and moving her hair out of her eyes, Booth asked, "How are you feeling?"

Swallowing, Brennan reached up and grabbed Booth's hand, "I'm sad. It just doesn't make sense to me that Pelant would kill Zach. He was institutionalized. He didn't pose a threat to anyone."

Exhaling deeply, Booth shook his head, "I'm afraid that wasn't true. Zach was writing code trying to find a way to locate Hodgins money and get it back. Hodgins should have remembered how vulnerable Ethan Sawyer was and left Zach out of it. I don't how he managed to lure Zach out of the institution yet; but, I will figure it out. We are going to prove Pelant did this, Bones. Pelant makes mistakes, he isn't God. Sooner or later we're going to get him and when we do I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else. He won't be able to walk away from what he's done this time."

Shaking her head, Brennan responded, "He'll just find another way to get out of jail and walk away from what he's done. No matter what we do, no matter how many times we've had him in confinement, he's found a way to free himself. You'll capture him again and then he'll just walk away again."

Frowning, Booth placed stared at their clasped hands, "That's not going to happen. I can pretty much guarantee that."

Puzzled, Brennan asked, "How?"

Smiling, Booth leaned over and kissed her, "I'm going to kill that sorry son-of-a-bitch."

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	18. Chapter 18

I appreciate your continued interest in my story.

I don't own Bones.

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Entering the autopsy room, Booth noticed Zach's body on the stainless steel table. Hesitating, Booth stared at the youthful face and shook his head. Looking to the right, he saw Cam consulting with a man he'd never seen before.

Moving over to the table, Booth stared at Zach's face and muttered, "Sorry, Buddy."

Cam, observing Booth's solemn face sighed, "Booth this is Dr. Neal Sullivan." Pointing at Booth, Cam introduced Booth to Neal, "This is FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth." Explaining to Booth, Cam pointed at Zach Addy's body, "We were just going over Zach's medical history. Dr. Sullivan is going to start the autopsy momentarily."

Nodding his head, Booth responded, "Thanks for taking over for us, Doc."

Glancing at Cam and then at Booth, Neal shrugged his shoulders, "It's the least I can do. We have a mad man running around the district killing at will. If I can help catch him then I will. Cam has been keeping me apprised of the situation with Pelant and I must say the guy scares the hell out of me. He doesn't seem to value human life at all."

Sighing, Booth responded, "No, he kills anyone that he thinks is a threat to him and he's killed at least one woman that we know of that was not a threat at all. She was just a convenient body he needed to decorate a statue. He's dangerous and no one is safe while he's still free."

Watching Neal put on gloves, Cam felt a shiver run down her spine, "I have to leave now, Neal. I can't bear to here with Zach is . . . I can't be here."

Sadly, Neal tried to smile, "Of course, Cam. I do understand." Turning to Booth, Neal asked, "Are you here to observe?"

Grimacing, Booth nodded his head, "Yeah, I promised Bones that I'd make sure that I'd call her when you're done to let her know what you found."

Shaking his head, Neal asked, "Bones?"

Smiling, Booth answered, "Dr. Temperance Brennan."

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Booth had done his best to avoid actually watching the autopsy. He'd sat on a chair near the door and stared most of the time out of the doorway. Neal, amused at Booth's efforts talked during the entire autopsy, giving Booth a step by step lesson on how to do an autopsy. Booth, having been to more autopsy's than he'd cared to remember, finally interrupted the coroner, "I'm not a rookie, Doc. I've seen my share of autopsies. It's just not easy to watch a friend being cut up and his bits taken out and looked at."

Flushing, Neal felt ashamed, "Yes, I forgot that you worked with Dr. Addy too. Sorry."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth licked his bottom lip, "Yeah, never mind. Have you come across cause of death yet?"

Studying Booth's profile, Neal nodded his head, "I believe so. He was strangled."

Frowning, Booth remarked, "Zach is bigger and taller than Pelant."

Not commenting, Neal having finished studying the internal organs, returned them to the body and sewed it back up. Once that was complete, Neal using a magnifying glass, looked over the epidermis trying to see if there was anything he may have missed. He found Booth's observation about the possible assailant being smaller than the victim worrisome. Moving the glass slowly over the skin, Neal suddenly stopped and studied the tiny hole in the throat.

Straightening, Neal stared at Booth, "Dr. Hodgins is running a toxicology test on Zach and I'm pretty sure he's going to find something."

Standing, Booth walked over to the table, "What did you find?"

Holding the magnifying glass over the tiny wound, Neal frowned, "See that puncture mark? It looks like a needle of some kind. Say the assailant was talking to Dr. Addy. If the doctor was caught off guard, the assailant could have jabbed him with a needle and knocked Addy out with something. Then once he was on the ground, helpless, it wouldn't have been hard to strangle him."

Curious, Booth looked at the tiny hole, "Was it a needle?"

Nodding his head, Neal replied, "I'm pretty sure it was."

Shaking his head, Booth looked away, "I suppose he could have been talking to Pelant and Pelant could have been holding a needle in his hand along his leg or behind his back, Zach was relaxed and didn't realize he was in danger. Pelant jabs him in the throat and plunges the needle releasing whatever it was in to his system. Zach falls down and Pelant just puts his hands around his throat and strangles him."

Puzzled, Neal asked, "That's seems a risky thing to do, why not shoot Dr. Addy or knife him? I mean, Dr. Addy could have reacted before Pelant was ready and prevented the needle from being used."

Licking his bottom lip, Booth shook his head, "Zach was an innocent. As many times as he'd worked on murder cases, he didn't recognize personal danger like he should. Pelant probably started talked to Zach about something really safe like 'Hey buddy, I'm lost can you help me out' and Zach just stood there talking to Pelant not realizing the danger he was in. Zach was a sweet kid. He got caught up in a mess a few years ago and it didn't turn out well for him. He was a follower. You know how that goes, Doc."

Nodding his head, Neal placed the magnifying glass on the table behind him, "Yes, unfortunately I do. I've been coroner in Bethesda for ten years now."

Staring at Zach's face, Booth rubbed the side of his face, "I'm going to go. Have Cam send me a copy of the autopsy and the toxicology report when it's ready."

Nodding his head, Neal stared at the sad agent, "I'm sorry for your loss, Agent Booth. I don't think I could have watched a friend of mine being autopsied."

Looking up at the doctor's friendly face, Booth smiled sadly, "Thanks Doc. I did it for Dr. Brennan. She needs to know what happened and she trusts me to tell her the truth."

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	19. Chapter 19

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Turning his head, Booth saw a light on in Brennan's office. Walking slowly back to her office, Booth studied the floor before him. Stopping outside the doorway to his partner's office, Booth stood up straight and braced himself. Entering the room, Booth found Brennan sitting on her couch, hugging herself.

Sitting down next to her, Booth put his arm around her shoulders, "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay home?"

Shaking her head, Brennan answered, "I couldn't stay at home, knowing you were here doing what you were doing Booth. It wasn't fair to you."

Hugging her against him, Booth said, "You didn't have to do that. I was happy to do it for you . . . I'm sorry, Bones. I really am sorry that this is happening. Do you want to hear the preliminary report or do you just want to wait until we have the toxicology reports back from Hodgins?"

Puzzled, Brennan stared into her lover's concerned face, "I'd like to know what the coroner's findings were."

Nodding his head, Booth shifted in his seat a little and cleared his throat, "Zach was strangled. I mentioned that Zach was taller and a little bigger than our possible assailant and Dr. Sullivan gave Zach the once over again. He found a needle mark in Zach's throat. I think, Zach was talking to Pelant and Pelant jabbed Zach in the neck with a needle. He knocked out Zach and then straddled him and chocked him to death. Hodgins is doing toxicology and I'll bet that he finds a sedative of some kind."

Closing her eyes, Brennan shook her head, "Zach was a very trusting person. I still don't understand how he got out of the institution. He was supposed to be under lock down."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth responded, "I have guys going over video of the entranceways and grounds of the institution. Maybe we'll see how he got out. . . . I have to go. Are you going to be alright?"

Leaning over and kissing him, Brennan tried to smile, "Yes of course. I can't help Cam with the autopsy she is planning for the man found in our back yard; but, I plan to help with the one that was found in Cullen's back yard. We're going to catch Pelant, Booth. I promise that you have the full support of the Jeffersonian and we will catch him."

Returning her kiss, Booth stood up, "If you need me, you call me."

Watching Booth leave her office, Brennan hugged her arms against her chest..

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Arriving back at the Hoover, Booth had just entered his office when Charlie popped in behind him, "Hey, Booth, Tom Molner is waiting for you in the conference room. I told him that I didn't know when you'd be back but he said he'd wait."

Turning, Booth sighed, "Good, he saved me the hassle of having his ass hauled in here. Did he say what he wanted?"

Shaking his head, Charlie replied, "Nope. He's very nervous though. Oh and he's not alone. He has two big fellas with him. They tried to get into the building with weapons. They have a permit to carry a concealed weapon; but, the guys downstairs almost had a hemorrhage when the guns lit up the metal detectors. Those guys tried to bullshit their way into the building with their guns. Agent Morvant actually had to draw his gun on them and threaten to throw their asses out of the building. Morvant was pissed at their attitude."

Smiling, Booth shook their head, "Yeah, they're probably some of Molner's hired guns. They pulled guns on me and my guys at his headquarters when we tracked Pelant there. Morvant did the right thing."

Shaking his head, Charlie muttered, "Their damned cowboy attitude is going to get someone killed."

Patting Charlie on the shoulder, Booth walked over to the break room and poured a cup of coffee. Taking his time, he sweetened it to his liking and then walked down to the conference room. Not surprised, Booth found Agent Harris standing outside the room.

Smiling at Morris, Booth asked, "Babysitting?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Harris slouched against the wall, "Yeah, Morvant practically had a baby cow over these idiots. He wouldn't let them come up without out an escort."

Shaking his head, Booth sipped his coffee, "Morvant was doing his job. I'd have insisted on an escort too."

Walking past Harris, Booth entered the room and sat down across the table from his visitors, "What can I do for you?"

His nostrils flaring, Molner, former CEO of Serberus, stiffly replied, "My men are being found murdered all over this damn city. I want to know what you're doing about it."

Sipping his coffee, "We're doing our jobs. We're trying to determine when and how they were murdered. We're hoping that leads us to who did it. What I want to know is what did these men do to get themselves murdered? You told me that you didn't have any ongoing operations going on. Just a few long term body guard contracts. That's obviously not the truth. What were Samuel Jones, George Hixon and Clent Gilbert up to? What was their assignment?"

Studying his hands, Tom Molner casually rubbed his thumb across one of his fingers, "My guys weren't on any assignments. They were waiting for me to start up my new company." Moving his gaze back on Booth's face, Molner clenched his fist and hit the top of the table, "This is Pelant. You know it and I know it. Bring him in. Do your job and stop him from killing any more of my people."

Shaking his head, Booth responded, "If I knew where Pelant was I'd bring him in. Right now we're investigating the murder of your employees and I'm telling you, the way they were killed was pretty gruesome. I'm not at liberty to tell you how they died at this time; but, I will tell you that if I were you, I'd make sure of every morsel that enters my mouth."

Staring at Booth, Molner shook his head, "My guys were poisoned?"

Leaning back and sipping his cooling coffee, Booth responded, "If you have an ongoing operation running against Pelant, I think it's safe to say that he knows about it and he's getting rid of any threats he feels that are aimed at him. If you had these men looking for him then you need to tell me. I can't do a thorough investigation if I don't have all of the information. . . . We're Jones, Hixon and Gilbert going after Pelant?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Molner replied, "I can't help you. If they were going after him then they were doing that on their own. I don't know anything about it."

Shaking his head, Booth stood up, "Fine have it your way." Moving towards the doorway, Booth stopped and glanced back at Molner and his bodyguards, "The next time you or your people try to enter this building with weapons, I'll have you arrested. Concealed gun permits don't apply to Federal buildings like the Hoover."

Standing, Molner called out, "What about me and my people? Are you going to protect us or not?"

Glancing at Harris and then back at Molner, Booth responded, "We plan to catch the murderer of your employees as soon as possible. If you have your men out looking for Pelant then I recommend you stop the search and try to make sure that Pelant knows you've stopped."

Leaving the room, Booth glanced at Harris, "Escort them out of the building and tell Morvant not to let them back in."

Smiling, Harris casually saluted Booth, "You got it."

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	20. Chapter 20

Thank you for reviewing my story. It is the only way I can tell you are still interested in my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Studying his findings, Hodgins shook his head sadly, "God Zach, I am so sorry, man."

Rubbing his hands across his face, he hitched his shoulders back and stood up. Glaring at the report in his hand, the entomologist finally bit his lower lip and walked out of his office. Walking down the hallway, he noticed that Brennan's office door was closed. Chewing his upper lip, he turned his gaze back down the hallway and after arriving at Cam's doorway, knocked on the door frame.

Looking up from her monitor, Cam motioned for Hodgins to enter the room, "What do you have?"

Handing the report over to Cam, Hodgins sat down on the chair next to her desk, slouched back and crossed his right ankle on his left knee, "It's like Booth and Dr. Sullivan thought. Zach was injected with Methohexital. It's pretty fast acting; but, it would have taken about three to five minutes to take effect. I'm thinking Pelant jabbed Zach in the neck and pushed the plunger. Zach just froze and didn't react. You know some people are like that. Hell, me I'd have tried to fight to get away; but, you know Zach lived in his brain. He might have tried to process what was going on and Pelant knocked him down and held him there until the drug knocked him out and then. . ." Clearing his throat, Hodgins shook his head, "and then he killed him."

Reading the report, Cam finally looked up, "Send this on to Booth. He hasn't got back to me yet about what they found on the videos at the institution. Did you finish the toxicology reports for Gilbert and Hixon yet?"

Nodding his head, Hodgins crossed his arms across his chest, "Yeah, they died by ingesting Destroying Angel, just like Samuel Jones. You know that's a pretty gruesome way to die and Pelant did that to three people. I can't figure out why he felt like he had to stage the bodies though. Why not just let them lay where they died? It seems awful risky to move them. I mean he was taking a huge risk moving Jones to the Jeffersonian but then he moved Gilbert to Booth's house and Hixon to Cullen's house. They're the FBI for God's sake. Then he dumps Zach in Caroline's back yard, he must be insane if . . . "

Hearing Hodgins voice rising, Cam leaned over and placed her hand on his foot, "Jack, you need to calm down."

Licking his lip, the agitated man, placed his foot on the floor and leaned forward, "You're right, you're absolutely right. I can't help catch that bastard if I start losing it." Rubbing his forehead, he shook his head, "I had my hands around his neck. I could have killed him. I just . . . I should have killed him."

Shaking her head, Cam asked, "I don't understand what do you mean you had your hands around his neck?"

Grimacing, Hodgins leaned back again, "Angela had sent me to a cemetery with some flowers to leave a message for Dr. B when she was still hiding from Pelant. He followed me to the cemetery and I confronted him. I actually put my hands around his throat and squeezed. He. . . I almost killed him until I realized that was what he wanted me to do. That sick bastard smiled at me while he was dying. He wanted me to kill him. It was like some twisted version of a sick game. Kill him and he won. That bastard is as sick as they come. . . . I couldn't let him win; so, I let him go. I should have killed him anyway. This is all on me."

Leaning forward, Cam patted his arm, "No, this is not on you. You're very much mistaken about that. This is all on Pelant and no one else."

Standing, Hodgins jammed his hands into his jacket pockets, "I have work to do."

Watching her friend leave the room, Cam sighed and looked over the report one more time.

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Scanning her report once more, Cam called Booth, "Did you get a chance to look over the toxicology report Hodgins sent you for Zach yet?"

Frowning, Booth opened Hodgins' email, "Nah, I just got out of a meeting with Cullen. I'm looking at it now. What's methohexital?"

Observing Wendell walk by her office, Cam replied, "It's a powerful sedative. It's used primarily to induce anesthesia. It's only supposed to be used in hospitals and similar settings. Dentists use it to induce twilight sleep for oral surgery and dentistry. It's used under strict supervision."

Finding that interesting, Booth studied the report, "So it's a controlled substance."

Nodding her head, Cam smiled, "Yes, it is. We might be able to trace the batch. I'll get Hodgins working on that."

Closing the email, he forwarded it to Cullen and Caroline. "How's Bones doing?"

Pursing her lips, Cam replied, "She's holding up. She helped with Hixon's autopsy. I think she's in her office right now."

Staring at the top of his desk, Booth ran his tongue across his bottom teeth, "Yeah, okay. I got to go."

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That evening, Booth arrived to find his home once more in total darkness. Walking into the kitchen he found a baked chicken and a big salad in the fridge. Taking the salad out of the fridge, he tore the chicken into pieces and placed it in the salad. Pouring on Italian dressing, he carried the salad and a fork to his man cave and turned on the news.

Watching a report coming out of Syria, Booth ate his salad. Not able to concentrate on what was being reported, he picked up the remote and turned the TV off. Placing the salad on the coffee table, he walked over to his stereo and put in a CD Brennan had given to him for his birthday. As 'Boy and Bear' started to play 'Fall at Your Feet', Booth picked up his salad and tried to finish it.

Listening to the music, Booth felt his stomach turn into knots and he couldn't continue to eat. Placing the salad back on the coffee table, he leaned back and tried to blank out his mind.

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Concerned that Booth wasn't lying next to her, Brennan rose from her bed and left the bedroom. Walking down the hallway, she checked on Christine. Finding her toddler asleep, Brennan left her child's bedroom and walked down the hallway. Standing at the top of the stairs, she noticed a light coming from the kitchen. Moving down the stairs, she heard the stereo on in the man cave and moved towards that room once she got to the bottom of the stairs.

Entering the man cave, Brennan saw Booth asleep on the couch. His breathing seeming to be harsh, she leaned over and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Booth, wake up."

Jerking awake, Booth sat up and stared wild eyed at Brennan. His heart pounding, he reached up and pulled her into his embrace. "Bones don't leave me."

Shaking her head, she rubbed his back, "No Booth, I promised. Nothing will make me leave you again, nothing."

Feeling his heart start to beat more normally, Booth sighed, "Sorry, it was just a dream. . . . I know you won't leave me. I love you, Bones."

Hugging him tighter, Brennan sighed, "I love you Booth."

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	21. Chapter 21

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Studying the report before him, Booth shook his head. Looking up at Agent Brown, "Are you sure about this, Lester?"

Holding out a DVD, Lester shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not the computer expert; but, Tom says this email is legit as far as he can tell. If you match that up with the date stamp on the DVD then I'd have to say, I'm sure."

Popping the DVD into the tray of the PC, Booth heard the whirring of the drive and then a file popped up on his screen. Opening it, he observed Zach leave the side entrance to the institution that he'd been living at. Dressed in gray scrubs, he walked out of the doorway as if he didn't have a care in the world. A camera positioned on a pole at the rear the property line captured Zach walk to a back gate, climb over it and disappear from sight.

Turning towards Lester, Booth asked, "Any other cameras in the area?"

Shaking his head, Lester frowned, "That gate leads out to park. There a lot of trees and pathways for joggers and bikers; so, no, no other cameras. I've sent some techs out to the park to see if Dr. Addy was killed there."

Ejecting the DVD from his drive, Booth sighed, "One in the morning; so, it isn't likely that anyone saw him. Let me know what you find out. If the techs don't find anything then we'll have to see if any neighboring stores picked him up on their cameras. We should check traffic cameras too. We need to find out where he was killed. The Jeffersonian couldn't find any forensic evidence on Zach's body linking him to anyone." Rubbing his forehead, Booth stared at his desk top, "We all know this is Pelant; but, so far we don't have anything proving it was him."

Shrugging his shoulders, Lester commented, "It would be nice if we could prove it; but, it isn't like we can't go after him for the previous murders. His killing of Carole Morrissey, Pelant's guidance counselor would be enough. With the other crimes he committed, it would be enough to stick the needle in. It would be really nice if we could prove that he committed one of his murders in Delaware or Utah."

Puzzled, Booth shook his head, "Why those two states?"

Smiling, Lester pantomimed being hung, "Delaware still has hanging as a form of execution and Utah has the firing squad. Either one would make me happy."

Rolling his eyes, Booth grimaced, "I don't give a damn how he dies as long as he dies. The guy is like a rabid dog. The only way to take care of a rabid dog is to kill it."

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Entering Hodgins office, Booth noticed the entomologist working on something on a tray in the back of the room. Marching over towards Hodgins, Booth called out, "Alright bug boy, I asked you if you had anything to do with Zach slipping out of the building and you told me you didn't. I don't like being lied to."

Turning, Hodgins shook his head, "I didn't lie to you." Grabbing the paper Booth thrust at him, he read what was written on the report. Turning pale, Hodgins shook his head, "I didn't send this to Zach. I swear it. I didn't do this."

Studying Hodgins pale features, Booth shook his head, "My techs say it's from your IP address."

Licking his lips, Hodgins shook his head adamantly, "I swear to you, I didn't send this. I don't care if it has my IP address. I didn't sent that to Zach. I never snuck him out of that place. Never. He was safer where he was."

Making a decision, Booth pointed to Hodgins' computer, "Give me the CPU and I'll take it back to the Hoover."

Glancing at his computer, Hodgins returned his gaze back towards Booth, "Please, let me have Angela look into this. She'll prove to you that I'm innocent."

Snorting, Booth shook his head, "Talk about a conflict of interest. She's your wife. Give me the CPU or I'll get a warrant and I'll take it anyway."

Angry, Hodgins walked over to his computer, closed some files he had open and did a shutdown. Once it was off, he unplugged everything and handed the box to Booth. "I'm not lying to you. This is Pelant."

Taking the CPU, Booth sighed, "It probably is, Jack; but, think about it. I can't let your wife touch this CPU. Pelant's lawyer would have any evidence we find on it thrown out. If it turns out your lying to me then I'll be back and you'd better have a good explanation. If you aren't lying then you're in the clear and I'll let you have your CPU back. I have to do it this way. You know I do."

Frustrated, Hodgins ran his hand through his hair, "He's playing us. He keeps playing us over and over again."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth replied, "Yeah, I know. We need to find a way to make him change his tune. I just don't know what it is."

Watching Booth leave, Hodgins frowned, "He's right, we need to make Pelant play our tune not his."

Sitting down at his desk, he stared at the aquarium that held his chameleon. Watching the chameleon closely, Hodgins suddenly smiled. Leaving his office, he quickly made his way to his wife's office. Entering the room, Hodgins smiled, "Hey, I've been thinking, Pelant considers himself a puppet master. What if we cut the strings and pretended he still held them?"

Shaking her head, Angela asked, "Do you have a plan to get Pelant?"

Shaking his head, in turn, her husband frowned, "Not yet; but, I think we've been going about this all wrong. We're trying too hard to capture the guy. We need him to come to us."

Frowning, Angela pursed her lips, "How do plan to do that?"

Smiling, Hodgins answered, "I don't know yet. We may have to get Dr. Brennan involved. Maybe Cam. I have a germ of an idea; but, I need to think about it."

Hugging herself, Angela responded, "And Booth. Don't forget Booth."

Reaching out and placing his arms around Angela, Hodgins kissed her, "Oh, no. I haven't forgot about Booth."

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Reviews would be great thanks.


	22. Chapter 22

Thank you for your continued interest in my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Walking into Booth's office, Lester carried the report he had in his hands over to the desk and dropped it in front of Booth. "So, the bug guy wasn't lying. It was his IP address; but, it didn't originate from his computer. The techs said that that email was routed through so many IP addresses it was impossible to pin point it's origin. They got as far as China and couldn't get any further. Just so you know, your IP address showed up in the list too. Whoever sent that email to Dr. Addy bounced it off of your IP address as well as Dr. Hodgins."

Frustrated, Booth ran his hands through his hair, "I'm sick and tired of playing games with this guy."

Shrugging his shoulders, Lester sat down, "How's Dr. Brennan?"

Leaning back in his chair, Booth smiled, "She's doing pretty good. She's raising hell that she wants to go back to work. She doesn't give a damn that she died three times four weeks ago. She says she feels fine and she wants to go back to work."

Laughing, Lester shook his head, "Yeah that sounds like Dr. Brennan. You're aren't going to let her are you?"

Snorting, Booth shook his head, "Since when do I control Bones? She does what the hell she wants to do. All I can do is argue and fuss. Sometimes she listens and sometimes she doesn't. Right now, she's staying home but I'm pretty sure that she's not going to wait until her doctor releases her. I give it another week at the most."

Pointing at the report, Lester leaned forward, "So, it looks like Pelant sent an email to Dr. Addy pretending to be Dr. Hodgins asking him to sneak out of the institution. He knew that Dr. Addy could do it and counted on it. Addy then used the back gate and went out into the park. He ran into Pelant and Pelant killed him. It took quite a while but the techs found the crime scene. They had a blood hound brought out that was trained to follow scent and the dog led them to the crime scene. We're lucky it hasn't rained lately. This dry summer we're having actually helped us out. If you'll look at the second page, you'll see that the techs took their time and processed the crime scene. They didn't find any forensic evidence pointing to who killed Dr. Addy. Whoever killed him was very careful and they knew what they were doing."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth read what was written on the second and third page of Lester's report. "It's unbelievable that he can be killing people all over the District and not leaving behind any forensic evidence. Nobody is perfect, even that worm Pelant. There has to be something."

Crossing his arms, Lester shook his head, "So far, nothing. We're just assuming this is all Pelant; but, really it could be anyone."

Shaking his head, Booth frowned, "No, not anyone. This is Pelant. The murders of those mercenaries and the placement of their bodies, the murder of Zach. This is all on him. It wouldn't make sense if it was someone else. It's Pelant."

Scratching his head, Lester lowered the volume of this voice, "Aren't you tired of playing his games?"

Frowning, Booth leaned back, "Are you going somewhere with this?"

Nodding his head, Lester frowned, "We need to quit doing what he wants us to do and make him do what we want him to do."

Studying Lester's face, Booth asked, "You have a plan to do that?"

Smiling, Lester shook his head, "Not yet. I just started thinking about it today. I know one thing, when I do come up with a plan, I'm not going to tell you about it here."

Frowning, Booth shook his head, "Meaning?"

Pointing to Booth's computer and holding up his phone, Lester placed it on Booth's desk and then making a following motion with this hands, Lester stood up and walked towards the door. Curious, Booth, took his phone out of his jacket pocket and placed it on his desk. He then followed Lester out of his office, down the hallway and into the stairwell and then out to the parking garage.

Moving behind a support column and out of sight of the cameras in the area, Lester placed his hand over his mouth and explained quietly, "Pelant is a computer genius. He's a hacker. He probably has a way to listen in to whatever we're talking about when he wants to. . . What I'm saying is, any plans that involve Pelant's capture needs to be done where he can't overhear or see us. Maybe write the plan on paper and shred the paper when we're done. I know it sounds paranoid; but, I've been reading everything I can about Pelant and this guy is probably the best hacker out there. He's done things that I would never believe could happen. He's murdered people and dumped their bodies in places he should never have been able to. He's destroyed what evidence we did have using his computer skills. The only reason we caught him for the Morrissey case is because he did that when he was a kid. He made some stupid mistakes and we used that inexperience to get him. He's learned since then. If we come up with a plan to capture the guy it can't show up on any computer or phone. No text messages, nothing. The less technology the better. If I can come up with something, I want to make sure he doesn't know about it. If you can come up with something, then count me in."

Scratching his chin, Booth nodded his head, "Good points, Lester. I'll keep that in mind."

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Arriving home, Booth found Brennan in her office. Frowning, Booth shook his head, "You're not supposed to be working."

Turning from her PC, Brennan frowned, "I'm not working. I'm just checking my mail."

Leaning over and kissing his girlfriend, Booth sighed, "Okay. So, how are you feeling today?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled, "I'm fine Booth. I told you that this morning. I don't know why I can't go back to work. I have a lot that needs to be done."

Sitting on the couch across the room, Booth shook his head, "Not until your doctor releases you."

Looking back at her PC, Brennan licked her bottom lip, "Dr. Hernandez contacted me again. He still wants me to come out this summer and help him on one of his digs. He has several sites he'd like to work on and not enough experienced anthropologists. He has one site that he'd like me to work. If I went I'd be gone for two months."

Shaking his head, Booth responded, "You're recovering from surgery. I don't think you should do it. Some of those jungles can be too far away from medical help."

Shaking her head in turn, Brennan smiled, "It isn't out of the country, Booth. It would be in New Mexico. He has some Anasazi sites he's interested in."

Crossing his arms against his chest, Booth stared at his girlfriend, "I hope you turn it down anyway. I thought we could skip that stuff this year. I mean look what happened last summer. You were . . . "

Observing the anxious look on her boyfriends face, Brennan shook her head, "No, you're right. I'll tell Dr. Hernandez that I'm not interested this year. I'll tell him that I want to stay closer to home this summer."

Standing, Booth smiled, "Thanks. I'll go fix dinner."

Watching Booth saunter out of the room, Brennan reluctantly replied to Dr. Hernandez's email. Once she sent it, she sat back and stared at her computer monitor.

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	23. Chapter 23

If you haven't seen "The Secret in the Siege" then I suggest you stop reading this story if you want to be spoiler free. To everyone else: here we go.

Thanks for the wonderful reviews.

I don't own Bones.

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Entering the Bones Storage room, Hodgins smiled, "Hey Dr. B would you mind giving me your phone. I need to do something and I need your phone to do it."

Puzzled, Brennan fished her phone out of her jacket pocket and handed it to her friend. Accepting the phone, Hodgins walked to the doorway and handed it to Arastoo. Smiling the intern waved the phone, slipped it into his lab coat pocket and walked away. As soon as Arastoo was out of sight, Hodgins, Angela and Cam entered the room and closed the door.

Curious, Brennan asked, "Where is my phone?"

Smiling, Hodgins clasped his hands together in front of his stomach, "You're phone is safe enough. We need to talk to you and we don't want little ears listening in."

Noticing Brennan's puzzled look, Angela frowned, "Pelant."

Nodding her head, Brennan folded her arms across her chest, "What's going on?"

Not answering Brennan's question, Cam asked one of her own, "I know that Dr. Hernandez has contacted you again about his dig in New Mexico. We'd like to know if you've sent him a reply yet."

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She'd told him that they were okay and in many ways they were. Brennan still worked with him, she still lived in the same house that he did, they still took care of each other and Christine; but, Booth knew that something had changed. He couldn't say she was cold to him because she wasn't but if he had to characterize their relationship then he would say that they were distant. Ever since he'd turned down her proposal he felt like Brennan was keeping her distance, not physically but mentally. They had been so happy and when he'd turned her down it was as if he'd turned back the hands of time and they were back to where they were when she'd first come back after being gone for three months. She'd been here and yet not here and now it was happening all over again.

Sighing, Booth turned the television off and walked around the ground floor, checking all of the windows to make sure they were closed and locked. He checked the back door and the basement to make sure that the doors were locked and lastly he'd made sure that the porch light was on and the front door was locked. Walking over to the staircase, he put his hands on the banisters and leaned forward looking at the stairs at his feet. Finally, shrugging his shoulders, Booth moved up the stairs and down the hallway to Christine's room. Moving over to her crib, he smiled and stared at his toddler for awhile. Feeling at peace, he moved out of the room and across the hallway to the bedroom he shared with Brennan. Noticing her sitting in bed with the laptop open, Booth smiled, "Hey."

Looking up from her monitor, Brennan frowned, "I thought you were watching a ballgame."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth walked over to his dresser and removed a pair of sweat pants and walked towards the bathroom, "I couldn't concentrate. It wasn't a very interesting game anyway. The Astros were crushing the Nationals."

Watching him walk into the bathroom, Brennan sighed. She knew that she'd been acting distantly with her lover ever since he had turned down her proposal; but, in this case, she needed to continue to do so. She needed to protect him and the only way she could that was to make sure that nothing changed between them.

_Flashback:_

_Standing in the Bones Storage area, Brennan stared at her fellow conspirators, "I think I know why Booth turned down my proposal. His turning down something he wanted didn't make sense to me and at first I felt hurt that he had changed his mind; but, now that I've had time to think about it, I know that this has to be Pelant's doing. Booth has wanted to be married to me for at least two years. It isn't logical for him to turn me down after accepting my proposal. Booth has a certain set of beliefs and values and marriage is one of them. I gave him exactly what he wanted and then a few hours later he turned me down. He was so sad when he did it I actually thought he was going to cry. It doesn't add up unless you factor in an outside influence. There is only one source that could make Booth turn me down and that is Pelant. He did something or said something to force Booth to rescind his answer."_

_Curious, Cam asked, "What are you going to do about it?"_

_Shaking her head, Brennan sighed, "We will let Pelant continue to believe that he has control over our actions. I will continue to react to Booth as I have been for the last few days. I don't want Pelant to think that I and therefore we know he had anything to do with Booth's actions. It's important that Pelant think that he is in control if we want our plan to have a chance to work. Once this is over, I will explain to Booth why I continued to behave the way I did. He will understand."_

_Chewing her upper lip, Angela remarked, "He looks so sad every time I see him. It just makes me want to cry."_

_Nodding her head, Brennan responded, "If our plan works then Pelant will be out of our lives forever and Booth will finally get what he wants. As long as Pelant is alive he can't. Whatever he threatened Booth with must still exist and therefore we need to take it seriously. Once Pelant is gone his threats will be negated and Booth and I will be able to mend our fence."_

_Glancing at everyone in the room, Hodgins finally stared at Brennan, "So we still keep Booth in the dark?"_

_Nodding her head, Brennan sighed, "We don't have a choice. He can't be involved in what we're going to do. He's an honorable man and I won't allow one more life to be added to his cosmic balance sheet. He's done enough. Besides he's respects the law too much to ever agree to use our plan. We will take care of this ourselves."_

_Smiling grimly, Cam responded, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."_

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Entering the bedroom, Booth noticed that the lap top had been put away. Sliding onto the bed, Booth smiled, "So, how was your day? Did you get to find out the identity of that person you were working on in Bones Storage?"

Nodding her head, Brennan answered, "Yes, I've been very productive lately. . . . I need to talk to you about something that has come up."

Curious, Booth frowned, "Sure, what's up?"

Swallowing, Brennan bit her lower lip and then responded, "Dr. Hernandez has contacted me again about the Anasazi dig. He says that he is desperate to have someone in charge of one of his sites and he wants me to reconsider. He's been corresponding with me via email and I've spoken on the phone with him twice in the last two days. I think I will accommodate him and take charge of the dig. I'll only be gone for two months. I talked to Angela and she says that she can take Christine and keep her while I'm gone or she can make arrangements to help you take care of her if you don't want Angela to take her from here. It will of course be up to you."

Suddenly sad, Booth swallowed and looked away, "Sure, if you think you have to go . . . . When are you leaving for the dig?"

Seeing the sad look on Booth's face, Brennan closed her eyes momentarily and then opened them. Plastering a smile on her face, she responded, "I'll be leaving in four days. That will give me time to pack and make arrangements at the Jeffersonian. I think I should warn you that Hodgins and Arastoo will be going with me. I can use their experience at the dig. Clark will take over my position at the Jeffersonian while I am gone and he will be helped by Cam and the rest of my interns. You get along quite well with Clark and he is very good at what he does; so, I don't think it will be a burden in the short time I'm gone."

Nodding his head, Booth remarked, "Sure, sounds good." Lying down, Booth turned his back towards Brennan and stared at the bathroom door.

Brennan, shaking her head, sighed and laid down. Staring at the ceiling, she knew neither of them would sleep very much that night.

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Reviews would be great. Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you for your continued interest in this story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in his office, Booth stared at his computer monitor and tapped his fingers against the side of the keyboard. Lost in thought, he didn't hear Lester walk into the room.

"Hey Boss, I need to show you something."

Looking up, Booth watched as Special Agent Lester Brown waved his phone and then placed it on his desk. Lester then placed his hand across his mouth and left the office. Curious, Booth left his phone sitting on top of his desk and followed Lester down to the parking garage. Finding him standing near the elevator but out of sight of the cameras, Booth placed his hand over his mouth. "Alright, what's up?"

Taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, he placed it over his mouth, "Okay, I talked to Max Keenan like you asked me too and he's agreed to help us out. He said it will take him three days to get it all set up."

Staring at the younger man, Booth responded, "Okay, this is your last chance to back out. You don't have to do this. I won't think any less of you if you want to. If this goes south it could mean your career, if really hits the fan you could end up in jail or dead. I'm asking you to think it over and let me know tomorrow what you decide. This isn't your fight."

Angry, Lester huffed, "Listen here, this is my fight just as much as it is yours. When you told me what was going on I helped you come up with this plan. This was partly my idea and I'm not going to let you steal all the glory for yourself. No Sir, I'm helping you and that's a fact. Besides, we have to stick together, once a ranger always a ranger. That asshole won't see this coming. Not by a long shot."

Reaching over and patting Lester's shoulder, Booth smiled, "Thanks; but you know there isn't going to be any glory. . . You're a good egg Lester. I appreciate the help, I'm not sure I can do this alone. Every sniper needs his spotter."

Laughing quietly, Lester asked, "Since we're both snipers, who's the sniper and who's the spotter?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth answered, "I suppose the moment will dictate that one."

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Standing in the doorway of their bedroom, Booth watched Brennan finish packing. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he held it in his hand, "So Max heard you're taking off for New Mexico for two months and he asked me to go to Colorado with him for a few weeks. I checked with Angela and she's agreed to keep Christine while we're both gone. I haven't had a vacation for two years and Cullen told me to go ahead and take four weeks. It was the FBI's fault I didn't go on vacation last year and well, you know Cullen, he's finally feeling guilty about it and he told me take off. Lester is coming with me."

Listening while she packed, Brennan frowned, "This is very sudden isn't it?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth placed his right hand on his hip and held the phone dangling from his left hand, "Yeah, sort of. Max has a friend who owns a cabin in Colorado and offered it to him to use for a few weeks. Max wants to do some hunting; but, he doesn't want to go by himself. He says he feels insecure about being by himself in the boonies since he had his hip replacement surgery."

Closing her suitcase, Brennan turned her gaze towards Booth, "What does Dad plan to hunt?"

Frowning, Booth answered, "Big horn sheep."

Shaking her head, Brennan responded, "I'm going to be honest with you and tell you that I hope you don't get one."

Smiling, Booth walked over to the bed, "Yeah, I get it. I'll carry your bags downstairs." Placing his phone in his shirt pocket, he picked up two of them. "You probably won't be able to call me while I'm at the cabin. Max says its remote and cell phone service is probably non-existent."

Nodding her head, Brennan smiled, "I was going to say the same thing. You may not hear from me unless I drive into one of the neighboring towns. The dig is in a very remote area."

Carrying the bags out of the room, Booth remarked, "Yeah, I figured." Stopping Booth asked, "You're going to have security at your dig, right? I don't have to worry about that, right?"

Nodding her head, Brennan smiled, "Yes, of course. Dr. Hernandez always hires security for his digs."

Relieved, Booth smiled, "Good, just making sure. I don't want you taking any risks since that psycho is still running around free."

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Lying in their bed, Booth sighed again. Feeling the bed move next to him, he turned his head to see the woman he loved staring at him.

"What's wrong Booth?"

Turing to face her, Booth frowned, "I wish you wouldn't go on this dig. You're safer if you're here."

Shaking her head, Brennan responded, "I'll be perfectly safe. If you're worried about Pelant then you shouldn't be. You're the one who said that Pelant doesn't want to kill either one of us because that would be the end of his game. I feel we've become the focus of Pelant's megalomania and if I'm not here he will probably go into a dormant phase and wait until I come back. Considering how many people he's killed or caused to die I would think you wouldn't mind the relief of not having to deal with his brand of insanity."

Reaching out and placing his hand along the side of her face, Booth leaned over and kissed her, "No matter what happens Bones, I want you to remember that I love you."

Returning his kiss, Brennan smiled, "And I love you too Booth. We've obviously been having some problems lately; but, when I come back, I think things will be different between us. I think that time and space will fix our problems."

Kissing her again, Booth smiled sadly, "God I hope so."

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Frowning, Pelant threw his coffee cup across the room, "Megalomania my ass. You go to New Mexico. See what good it will do you, Temperance. This time I'll know exactly where you are."

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Reviews would be great. Let me know what you think about my story. Thanks.

A/N: Yes, there is a little vagueness going on; but, all will be made clear in the end.


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you for your continued interest in this story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Standing below the cliff dwelling, Dr Kevin Hernandez, pointed out the ladder, "It's new and pretty strong. It's the only way up. The Kiva is mostly intact and the midden hasn't been touched by modern hand. I think you should concentrate on the midden; but, this is your dig and you will of course do what you think best. If you have time, I would also like you to spend time at the other site I showed you this morning. Of course this site is the more important of the two; because it is more remote and it doesn't look like looters or pot hunters have been here yet. The other site shows signs of excavation; but, it wasn't done recently. There might not be anything of value at that one. I'm am hoping there is; but we both know not to get our hopes up."

Pausing, Kevin frowned, "I have assigned several grad students to this site to help you. Do you think you have enough help? I could try to hire a few people to help out if you think you need the help."

Shaking her head, Brennan pointed towards her truck. Watching Hodgins and Arastoo unload their equipment out of the truck, Brennan answered, "Dr. Hodgins and Mr. Vaziri will be of great help. I won't need additional help. Thank you for the offer."

Nodding his head, Kevin held out his hand. Brennan, shaking it smiled. Turning, Kevin walked over to where his truck was parked. Turning back, he waved at Brennan, "Cell phone reception is hit or miss in this area. If you need me, either send someone over to my site or drive out onto to the main highway until you find a tower and call me."

Nodding her head, Brennan glanced up at the ladder and then walked over to her truck. Grabbing a tent from Hodgins hand, she smiled, "Well, phase one is complete."

Glancing at Brennan, Arastoo frowned, "How long do you think it will take?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan answered, "It's hard to say. This project is at the mercy of outside influences. We'll have to see. I want to survey the midden once we've set up camp. Dr. Hernandez wants us to concentrate on that and I agree with him. We should drive over to the other site tomorrow and make our plans after looking it over. I believe the second site will suit our purposes better than this one."

Watching a security guard help unload a van, Hodgins frown, "Yeah, I think you're right."

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Sitting in their room at the 1911 Steam Train Hotel in Antonito, Colorado, Lester lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, "When do you want to head out?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth continued to clean his rifle. The parts spread out before him on the table, Booth studied each part, "I guess after dark. It'll take a few hours to get there. Once we're set up, we should be okay. The truck is filled with supplies; so, once we're there we can stay put."

Sighing, Lester closed his eyes, "I've never been out west. I didn't realize how hot it gets here."

Snorting, Booth shook his head, "You've served in Iraq. It was a hell of a lot hotter there."

Shrugging his shoulders, the younger man smiled, "This isn't Iraq. . . . So, I talked to Max before we left and he said he has the appropriate hunting licenses and he's ready for phase two."

Smiling, Booth glanced at Lester, "Don't forget to take your phone apart before you leave here. I don't want the little ferret to be able to track us further than here."

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Lester pulled out the sim card and the battery. Shaking his head in disgust, Lester sighed, "Claire wasn't very happy when I told her she wouldn't be able to call me. I explained that we didn't want the little psycho to know where you were since he's obsessed with you." Sitting up, Lester walked over to the table and sat down in the chair across from Booth. Picking up Booth's phone, Lester smiled broadly. "Claire thinks Pelant may have fallen in love with you and this need to control you and Dr. Brennan is just his way of controlling you. He wouldn't like his love interest to marry anyone because then it would mean that his future fantasies of you two getting together would be ruined."

Rolling his eyes, Booth shook his head, "I think he's in love with Bones. She's a hell of a lot smarter than he is and it must drive him crazy that she keeps tripping up his plans. He killed Zach to send her a message. I think he was trying to tell her that no one she knows or loves is safe because he's a genius and he can take them out anytime he wants to, including me."

Waggling the phone, Lester protested, "No, no I agree with Claire. Pelant is madly in love with you. It drives him nuts that you have a lover smarter than he is and he's just been trying to make her look foolish and he's been trying to scare her off. He wants her to run like she did last summer. He wants you to see how useless she is when it comes to a competition between him and her. You know, so you'll see that you're meant for him."

Closing his eyes, Booth blew air through his pursed lips. Opening his eyes, Booth responded, "Maybe he's accomplished part of his goal. Bones is barely talking to me and now that she's in New Mexico, I don't really have a way to talk to her. She wants space and time; so, maybe that will fix this mess. I hope to God it will. Still, if Pelant comes anywhere near me, I'll kill him. I'll kill him without remorse. He'll never see the inside of a jail or a courthouse. I may; but, he won't."

Looking at the pieces of Booth's rifle, Lester remarked, "Maybe he's been trying to drive her away so he can make a play for you. He knows if he kills her then he'd never have a chance with you. You'll see. Someday we're going to catch that guy and when we do and he's about to have the needle shoved in his arm, he's going to tell us about his mad love for you and how he didn't kill Dr. Brennan or you because it would have just ruined everything he wanted from you."

Taking his phone from Lester's hand, Booth took out the sim card and the batteries. "Okay, enough bullshit, Lester."

Pointing at the motel room phone resting on the table next to the bed, Lester shook his head.

Glancing at the phone, Booth sighed.

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Furious, Christopher Pelant shook with rage. "How dare you. How dare you." Trembling, Pelant sat down abruptly and glowered at his monitors. "I've had enough. I thought they'd get it but they just don't want to. I'm a patriot. What I've done I've done to protect my country. Why can't they see that? It's just too much. I . . . fine, they think they're safe, well think again."

Disgusted, Pelant stood up and walked down the hallway to his bedroom. Throwing clothes in the carryall, he furiously thought about what he would do when he found her. "Oh yes. When I'm done with her, Seeley Booth will have to finally admit that there is no one smarter than me. No one. I'm a patriot like he is and someday he'll see that. Some day he'll acknowledge that what I did was for the country. I took out those Serberus mercenaries and brought down that company because it was dangerous. Ethan Sawyer was against me so he was dangerous. Dr. Addy was dangerous too. Nothing can stop me from keeping my country safe from those that want to control it secretly. I'm protecting my county and some day, Seeley Joseph Booth will admit that to me. He'll have to . . . Dr. Brennan is clouding his judgement. I'm a hero. By God, I'm a hero just as much as he is."

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So, I hope you're not too confused yet.

A/N: Just in case you aren't sure that Pelant can monitor phone calls through a PC, I have a computer and monitor at work whose sole function is to monitor phone calls.


	26. Chapter 26

Thank you for your continued interest in this story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Lying on the rim of the box canyon, Booth used his binoculars to scout out the camp. Studying each occupant as he found them, he categorized their strengths and weaknesses. Lester, lying next to him, used his own binoculars to study the camp layout.

Finally satisfied, Booth watched as his girlfriend slowly climbed the ladder leading up to the cliff dwelling. "She never has been afraid of heights."

Watching her finally reach the top, Booth's attention turned back to the camp, "One road in, narrow but passable. Two security guards, both of them in their twenties. I count thirteen members of the dig, including Bones. I spotted Arastoo and Hodgins looking at something in a truck a few minutes ago."

Nodding his head, Lester frowned, "It won't be here. Too many people, security, I don't see it happening here at all."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth smiled, "They think their so damned smart. They may be geniuses but it was obvious what they were up to. I mean at first Bones just shuts me out completely and I understand because what I did was . . . Anyway, I understood; but, then everyone I knew at the Jeffersonian started to act like I was a stranger and didn't want to talk to me. Even Cam. Talk about red flags. No matter what I've done in the past, if the squint squad was sure that I 'd hurt Bones in any way they all found a way to tell me how wrong I was; but, this time? This time everyone started acting against their character. I knew I'd figure it out if I just paid attention."

Shrugging his shoulders, Lester smiled, "Well, I don't think Dr. Brennan counted on you snooping through her desk and her computer at home everyday either."

Smiling, Booth snickered, "She can be too trusting around me sometimes. She hates to lie and I can always tell when she's hiding something from me."

Sighing, Lester used his binoculars to watch Hodgins and Arastoo argue about something, "I wish she'd let us in on her plan. We could have coordinated this better. . . . If not here, then where do you think they plan to do it?"

Studying the terrain around the camp, the older agent frowned, "The notepad she had locked up in her desk mentioned the second dig site they visited this morning. Also I read all of Dr. Hernandez's emails and he seemed hot for this site; but, kept mentioning the other site as well. Whenever Bones leaves here, you'll stay and watch the camp and I'll follow her. It's a good thing we brought the dirt bike. Once they're settled in tonight, I'll take the dirt bike and go back to the other site we saw earlier this morning. I want to scout it out. Since we couldn't drive down to the site without them noticing us, I need to see if there's a good lookout point like this one."

Lester remarked, "After dark, I'll go down and place the GPS devices on the trucks that belong to Dr. Brennan and Dr. Hodgins. That way you can hang back when you trail her."

Watching the younger of the two security men flirting with one of the young interns, Booth sighed, "Damn rent a cops."

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Sitting in front of her tent, Brennan ate from a cup of yogurt as Hodgins tried to make a call from his phone, "I called Angela earlier; but, now I can't seem to get a signal. That last bar I had on my phone drops off constantly. She told me that Christine was a little fussy today; but, she's probably missing you and Booth."

Swallowing her bite of yogurt, Brennan frowned, "I thought this site is supposed to be remote and yet I thought I heard a motor bike earlier this evening."

Shrugging her shoulders, Lydia Begay remarked, "There are several families that live out this way. It's not as remote as Dr. Hernandez likes to think."

Nodding her head, Brennan dipped her spoon in her yogurt container, "I think Dr. Hodgins and I will drive over to the other site tomorrow morning and do a cursory examination of the site. Mr. Vaziri will remain here and supervise the excavation of the midden. Ms. Begay, I would like you to start excavating the kiva in the morning. I think we will have more luck with the midden; but, we can't ignore the kiva. I would like Mr. Brooks to begin excavating the building closest to the midden. Dr. Hernandez says that there are signs of a very old dwelling at the back of this canyon near the catch basin. I think Ms. Atkins and Mr. Stewart should examine that area and see if it has potential. Mr. Viziri will have a list of assignments for everyone else in the morning."

Standing, Lydia smiled at Brennan, "I'm going to turn in now. I'll see you in the morning."

After, Lydia was out of earshot, Arastoo asked, "The motor bike, are you worried that it's him?"

Shaking her head, Brennan frowned, "No, not really. I expect him to be more circumspect. Still it is possible. I'm sure while we are in this camp we're fine. Hodgins and I will be very careful over at the other site. I think we'll take a couple of the interns with us while we set up the other site the way we want it. Once that's done, they can remain at this dig and not be further involved."

Staring at the sandwich in his hand, Hodgins remarked, "I still can't believe that Booth didn't insist on coming with us. I thought for sure we were going to have a fight on our hands, well, you were going to have a fight."

Frowning, Brennan looked out at the dark canyon walls, "He didn't want me to come; but, I think he felt that I would be safe enough since there are so many people at this dig and you and Mr. Vaziri are here with me. The added fact that there are security guards assigned to this dig seemed to allay some on his fears. I tried to tell him that me being away from him for a short period of time would help us with our problems and he seemed to accept that."

Sighing, Hodgins shook his head, "I really hated treating Booth like he was a pariah. I wish we could have come up with a better way to handle him. God, I haven't seen him that sad since . . ."

Finishing his sentence, Brennan frowned, "Since I took Christine and ran away?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the entomologist answered, "Yeah, since then."

Speaking up for the fist time, Arastoo frowned, "We are going to have a lot of apologizing to do to Agent Booth once we get back. I felt bad refusing to talk to him. He is very astute and much smarter than he likes us to believe he is. If we had tried to maintain a normal relationship with him and yet were evasive about what we planned to do here, he would have picked up on that instantly. I'm sure he would have followed us here in the end. It may have been a terrible way to treat such a man; but, in the end, it was the only way we could work this plan and not have him involved."

Standing, Brennan sighed, "It's important that he not be involved. He's a good man and I don't want to add to the burdens he already has. I couldn't ask him to be part of this. We will carry the burden for him."

Nodding his head, Arastoo agreed, "It's time we did our part and stopped relying on Agent Booth to do everything for us."

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Reviews would be great thanks.


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